Synopsis:
The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar®-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for…
Directed by: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Written by: Dana Stevens, Maria Bello
Starring: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedo, Lashana Lynch, John Boyega
My Edition:
My Thoughts:
The entire idea of a PG-13 movie about warriors and slavers initially felt a little bizarre, I must admit. But somehow, The Woman King actually makes it work. Do I wish there was a more violent version of the movie out there waiting for me? Of course – I like a violent movie. However, the PG-13 here really does a surprising amount of heavy lifting. There’s plenty of implied gore (hello, fingernails!), and a fairly decent amount of slightly icky stuff (for example, someone suffers a compound fracture that, despite having not broken through the skin is still pretty gnarly).
The story itself is also incredibly good. And in case you’re already gearing up to tell me, “BUT IT’S NOT HISTORICALLY ACCURATEEEEEE” I would like to remind you that it is a movie, not a documentary. It was inspired by true events – it doesn’t claim to be a reenactment. Please for the love of all that exists now or will ever exist in the future I beg you: DO NOT GET YOUR “FACTUAL INFORMATION” FROM WORKS OF FICTION. No, it is not strictly factual.
“We are the spear of victory, we are the blade of freedom, we are Dahomey!“
While the story is relatively accurate in a very general sense (the fact that Dahomey was a tributary state of the Oyo Empire, King Ghezo was a verifiably real person, the Agojie were more or less as depicted, etc.), there are some exceptions that I feel are worth noting. Mostly in the way that King Ghezo is depicted. He was not the kind and benevolent king depicted. He staged a coup to take the throne from that brother he briefly mentions, and although there is no real way to know exactly how that went down (history is typically written by the victors, unfortunately), his own self-reviews, passed down via oral tradition was pretty suss – I guess it was entirely five-star reviews, if you know what I mean.
Historians tend to agree that he was not as super nice as oral tradition claimed. And we do know that he was a pretty major (and willing) player in the slave trade. They didn’t hide his slave trading in The Woman King. Although they did still try to make him sympathetic there – as much as you possibly could do such a thing.
“Fighting is not magic. It is a skill. We’ll see if you have any.”
But those who take part in the slave trade are not treated any better than they deserve. Except King Ghezo, he gets a pass. But others, no. There is one particularly wonderful scene involving a slaver being beaten to death with shackles. That was affecting for obvious reasons.
And now we know that facts don’t come from entertainment pieces. So we can focus on what really makes The Woman King important. This that very rare movie that focuses almost entirely on the strength and humanity of Black women. And for that, I salute it.
Also, Viola Davis is a certified fucking legend. I don’t care what it is about – if she’s in it, I’m going to watch it. And The Woman King is no exception to her perfect track record of chef’s kiss performances. Although everyone kills it here (but I’m specifically talking to you Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim), Davis is absolute perfection.
Rating:
Give me more of this. It’s got everything you could want – good villains, character development, fierce women, good structure, good cinematography, strong storytelling.
The Woman King Directed by: Gina Prince-Bythewood US Release Date: September 16, 2022 Sony Pictures Rated PG-13 135 Minutes
