I Am Not a Witch

Released Sep 7, 2018

1h 30m

Drama

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List

97%

86 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Shula is the first child taken to a traveling witch camp, where she is told that should she cut the ribbon and attempt to escape, she will be cursed and transformed into a goat.

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Critics Consensus

I Am Not a Witch approaches real-life injustices with a beguiling blend of sorrow, anger, and humor, marking debuting writer-director Rungano Nyoni as an exciting new talent.

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Sally F

Disarmingly simple story about complex human nature.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/07/23

Full Review

flor l

A touching movie. A mixture of how beliefs, superstitions, and personal gain can be used to ostracize, cast away, and abuse (female) members of a society, where even a child could fall victim off to despair. Unpretentious and beautifully filmed.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

isla s

This is a sobering, bleak watch, of course - its a memorable film, not least for the use of ribbon attached to the backs of those accused of witchcraft. Its sad to think that such things may still go on, in certain parts of the world. I would recommend it to anyone interested in it, yes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Nyoni's first film is a portrait of a harrowing reality in which a patriarchal system reigns, even within the popular beliefs that condemn inocent people and acusses them even without reasons to do so.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

There Is Artistic Merit Buried Within Themes Here On Religion, Oppression & Social Hierarchy. The Story Is However, Pretty Thin On The Ground. It Really Wasn't Satire, It Was More A Farcical Horror On The Deception Built By Idiots Whom Fallen In Love With Their Own Stupidity.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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theodore h

Strong story telling in an indigenous setting.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Rungano Nyoni

Director

Maggie Mulubwa

Shula

Nancy Murilo

Charity

Henry B.J. Phiri

Mr. Banda

Nellie Munamonga

Officer Josephine

Margaret Spinella

Mama

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95%

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The Unloved

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Apostasy

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ANIMA

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I Am Not a Witch: Trailer 1

1:44

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Kelley Dong

Film Comment Magazine

Nyoni teases our assumptions of culpability. She paints portraits of implied mysticism with elegance and precision, slowing time and framing the girl as the center of the film's universe-not a witch, but a force to be reckoned with nevertheless.

Oct 30, 2018

Full Review

Danielle White

Austin Chronicle

If you like things to be spelled out, this is not the film for you.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 11, 2018

Full Review

Matthew Lickona

San Diego Reader

Even if writer-director Rungano Nyoni's film were a lesser achievement - less unsettlingly complicated, less bitterly funny, less bluntly sad - it would still have the witch truck, one of the great cinematic images of this or any other year.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 28, 2018

Full Review

Dave Giannini

InSession Film

I Am Not A Witch is an absolute gem. Rungano Nyoni is undoubtedly a young talented director who has a great talent to offer. If you are like me, you will be anxiously awaiting her next project.

Feb 20, 2024

Full Review

Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

Told with a matter-of-fact-ness that brings out both the heartbreak and absurdity of the film’s events [...] Appropriately for its subject, there are also touches of magical realism here, notes that elevate the film into something even more complex.

Oct 21, 2023

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

...leaves plenty of room for mystery — and therein lies its magic.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 16, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Shula is the first child taken to a traveling witch camp, where she is told that should she cut the ribbon and attempt to escape, she will be cursed and transformed into a goat.

Director: Rungano Nyoni
Producer: Mary Burke, Eve Gabereau, Hannah Thomas, Eva Yates
Screenwriter: Rungano Nyoni
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Film4, Kinology
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 4, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.9K
Runtime: 1h 30m

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