QUEEN of KATWE-Disney the Master of the Gotta Good Heart Genre

The true story of a young girl from Katwe, Uganda, Phiona from a dirt poor family is rich in heart & steeped with messaging the omnipotence of utilizing brainpower & tenacity.  Mind over matter is not all that matters in this poignant underdog story from which Disney has taken it's lion king share.  Phiona, played with a convincing awareness of her rising abilities by newcomer Madina Nalwanga.  An impressive & winning debut performance.  Acad Award winning actress Lupita Nyong'o's is Phiona's indomitable mother whose stern demeanor is born out of love & hardship.  Nyong'o is powerful in her role and British actor David Oyelowo (Selma) who plays Phiona's mentor is marvelous.  Oyelowo echoes Sidney Poitier (in talent) & Poitier's role in "To Sir with Love:" the movie of a gentleman whose compassion & altruism seems too good to be true.  Directed by Mira Nair (b. India 1958) who directed the "Namesake," takes the underdog story to new heights.  Instead of a sports hero, our heroine is an uneducated girl of little means who rises to become a master chess player.  Granted, she didn't do this on her own.  She had the support of a devoted mother and a selfless teacher.  Another feel good message of respect, commitment and gratitude.  The world of possibilities opens to Phiona as she soars & comes in contact with a broader & richer world outside her impoverished town. ("There much be more than this provincial life.")  There were loads of plattitudes that weighted down the movie "You belong where you think you belong."  "Losing doesn't mean you're a failure."  "Losing teaches me to do better."  Still, Nair didn't shy away from the shame Phiona felt as her pride in her accomplishments rose.  This real life story is inspiring.  It raised the bar on the triumph against all odds movie.