Rebelle (2012)

Somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, Komona a 14-year-old girl tells her unborn child growing inside her the story of her life since she has been at war. Everything started when she was abducted by the rebel army at the age of 12.

Director:

Kim Nguyen

Writer:

Kim Nguyen

Stars:

Rachel Mwanza, Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien, Serge Kanyinda

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 29 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rachel Mwanza	...	Komona
Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien	...	Commandant-rebelle
Serge Kanyinda	...	Magicien
Mizinga Mwinga	...	Grand Tigre Royal
Ralph Prosper	...	Boucher
Jean Kabuya	...	School camp coach
Diane Uwamahoro	...	Komona - Narrator (voice)
Jupiter Bokondji	...	Royal Tiger' sorcerer
Starlette Mathata	...	Komona's mother
Alex Herabo	...	Komona's father
Dole Malalou	...	Coltan dealer
Karim Bamaraki	...	Biker
Sephora Françoise	...	Butcher's mother
Jonathan Kombe	...	Kind policeman
Marie Dilou	...	Exorcist

Storyline

Komona, a girl in Sub-Saharan Africa, tells the story to her unborn child about her kidnapping by rebels and forced to join their bloody civil war. When she discovers a valuable intuition about the presence of the enemy, she is elevated as a witch and favored by the rebel leader. However, this special status threatens to be short-lived in this world of superstition and senseless brutality even as the ghosts of the war dead haunt her visions. However, when a newfound friend convinces her to desert, Komona finds escaping that brutal life is far from easy with its physical and spiritual consequences following her wherever she goes.

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Plot Keywords:

africa | girl | witch | civil war | 14 year old | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

French Lingala

Release Date:

1 March 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

War Witch

Filming Locations:

Democratic Republic Of Congo

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,714 (USA) (1 March 2013)

Gross:

$37,902 (USA) (22 March 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Item 7, Shen Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The official entry of Canada to the Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards 2013.

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Connections

Featured in The 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards (2013)

User Reviews

Reminded me of City of God

There are already a few pieces of movies with the same core reference to child soldiers in Africa. They all had one thing in common - they showed us an overall birds-eye view of what child soldiering was like. This movie appeared to be steered in a different way. It is not an overall picture of things, but rather a personal ordeal told from a strong-willed girl.

Aside from some of the the wishy washy 'voodoo' and romance elements of it, there are many things worth pointing out from this movie. The key attraction is of course the fantasy side of things which artistically fit very well into the overall story. But ultimately it is a heartwarming story of survival.

The style used in this movie reminded me of City of God, not because of whether it possess the same style or the gore behind it (well it was not that gory), but the music used and the tone of the setting are unique in its own way.