Review of War Witch (2012) by Keenan L — 03 Oct 2012

Kim Nguyen was able to create a powerful story for Rebelle that was very convincing. Nguyen does a really good job at writing dynamic characters, as Komona narrates her story you hear all of the hardships she has faced, which makes you feel sympathetic for her giving her character more depth. Nguyen also wrote a lot of sub plots that helped keep the idea of danger relevant, even after Komona and the Magician ran away from the rebels. They would hear stories from villagers and family members about how the rebel robbed them or killed someone they loved. This was a very subliminal away to express the idea of danger in the film even when it is not directly apparent.

Rebelle is a very beautifully shot film. Cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc did an amazing job capturing the beauty of the Sub Sahara. At certain points the viewer will forget they are watching a film and think they are watching a Documentary. Bolduc used a lot of natural light and environmental light to give the film a more natural/realistic look. He also shot a lot of hand held scenes to make the scene feel more spontaneous. During the first scene of the film rebels invade Komona's village on boats and Bolduc shot it all hand held, this was a very powerful scene, the mix of hand held shooting and the use of natural light really made it feel like it was actually happening.

Rebelle has very dynamic characters, interesting sub plots and great natural cinematography. Nguyen writing and Bolduc's Cinematography, makes Rebelle a very powerful and intriguing film.