Rebelle

Kim Nguyen : 2012
War Witch

Komona, a 14-year-old girl in Sub-Saharan Africa, tells her unborn child the story of how she became a rebel. After her village is burned down by rebels during the civil war and her parents are killed, Komona is kidnapped and forced into the jungle as a child soldier. Her brutal commander not only trains her in the use of arms but also orders her to sleep with him. But Komona is no ordinary soldier. Due to her ability to see gray ghosts in the trees that warn her of approaching enemies, she is deemed a sorceress and bestowed the title of War Witch. Searching for shelter amidst the horror, she turns to a slightly older boy with white hair whom she calls Magicien and falls in love with. After they escape from the camp together, Komona does her utmost to return to her village to make amends with her past. She wants to bury her parents to prevent them having to eternally wander the wasted land as ghosts. Told throughout from the perspective of an adolescent girl, visualising the horrors of civil war and the suffering of children and civilians, it is a powerfully poignant tale of human resilience. A love story between two young souls caught in a violent world, yet one also filled with beauty and magic. Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actress at Berlin International Film Festival 2012.