War Witch (2012)

Worthy but Wandering - War Witch review by griggs

War Witch is a serious, honourable film about an appalling subject—child soldiers in central Africa. It’s a solid attempt to turn real-life horror into fiction, handled carefully and sincerely. But while it’s commendably respectful, it’s also curiously short on surprises.

The story, which follows Komona and Magicien, blends war survival with a tragic love story, tied together by a mystical thread that never quite unsettles the way it should. Komona’s ghostly visions are intriguing in theory but feel undercooked—visually fleeting, emotionally distant.

The relationship at the film’s core brings warmth and the occasional moment of grace, with small joys flickering amid the violence. Yet major events often pass without much consequence. Things happen… and then we move on.

Nguyen means well, but there’s something slightly uneasy about a Vietnamese Canadian telling this particular African story. The result feels a bit too familiar, framed through an outsider’s eyes. It is undoubtedly well-crafted and worthy, but it lacks the ownership of the story and the spark that might’ve made it something more.