War Witch

Africa

A 12 yo girl in francophone West Africa is impressed into a rebel army...and there her troubles begin. The film is a 90 minute litany of the horrors that can be inflicted on a young girl. She suffers...we suffer watching her tribulations...and then the movie ends.

Other than displaying graphically man's potential for inhumanity I couldn't see any point to this film. Yup...some people get a really shitty deal. Got it. But I knew that already (remember Babi Yar?) and this film didn't add anything fresh. I'm past the point when just watching somebody suffer a terrible injustice is enough to make a successful film.

That being said this was well done. Good hand-held camera work. It didn't help that the lead spent most of the film mute, looking at the ground. Except during the requisite birth scene.

5