And if Disney tried to set up the African village of Katwe on a studio using artificial props and CGI backdrops, you would be able to tell the difference.
The actors, at the very least, would be able to tell the difference, and according to Nyong’o, it would affect their preparation.
But she helps set it apart from likeminded narratives by focusing on the location in which Phiona’s story takes place.
Nair, who perfected her craft on movies such as Monsoon Wedding and Vanity Fair, knows that she’s telling, essentially, a by-the-book underdog sports story.