Ever wonder where the Black Panther’s Dora Milaje was inspired from? Or perhaps, the Amazonians in Wonder Woman? Beautiful, tall, strong, doesn’t need no man to fight their battles– this came from history. They were both inspired by the African tribe, the Dahomey. The Dahomey housed the most powerful women lead army, the Agojie.
The Woman King shows us the triumphs and tragedies faced within the Agojie. The acting has to be praised, along with the intricate plot that intertwines to a final conclusion. The film was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, written by Dana Stevens, and produced by Cathy Schulman, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, and Maria Bello.
It opens in the year 1823. Tribes are against one another, and Dahomey is at a crossroads. Viola Davis’ character, Nansica, is a strong-willed general that believes Dahomey should no longer partake in the slave trade. Instead, they should sell palm oil and allow the slave captives to join the Agojie or freely leave. We then shift gears to Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), a fellow Dahomey who is forced to join the Agojie by her father. However, Nawi prefers living amongst the Agojie instead of getting married off. We also meet two other soldiers, Izogie (Lashana Lynch) and Amenza (Sheila Atim).
Lashana Lynch kills the role as Izogie. There are not enough praises one could give except to say, her character stole the show. She appears intimidating, but she’s the big sister you’ve always wanted. She sometimes gives good advice, oils your hair for you, and shares a few laughs. What can you not love about her? Sheila Atim’s character, Amenza, was the spiritual side of Dahomey. She has the brains, but she also keeps Nansica sane with her support. Both woman are an amazing addition to each and every scene they grace.
Every one of these characters has a purpose in the story, and through the writing, acting, and directional ways, we see who exactly these women are and what they stand for. Nansica is stubborn but resilient. It’s shown through her actions, the way she speaks, and the journey she goes on. The biggest hurdle she faces is taking down the Oyo tribe, in which the main leader, Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya), was someone from her past. Davis serves an excellent performance of a soldier haunted by her past.
Nawi, the secondary protagonist, is also stubborn and resilient (you’ll understand why she and Nansica are so alike when you watch the film). Still, she has something to prove to Nansica, so her beginning is filled with attitude. She feels as though no one understands her. It’s her bond with Izogie and her training that makes her a better person and a soldier. She’s also young, so when she meets a man from across the seas, we see some attraction towards each other. This is an action-packed film, but no one said there couldn’t be spice!
Each character feels like a puzzle piece made to fit a picture. Immersing African culture on the big screen appeared to be accurate. The accents weren’t overdone, and the costume and makeup design were beautiful. The film’s story arc was at a reasonable speed, and the scenes were mixed with fighting and emotional turmoil.
It was empowering to watch women rule the screens, to take power through fighting men in their way– with training, wits, and a goal. However, the fight scenes’ camera work could have been better. Most of the scenes felt a little sloppy, and at times there were a lot of cuts in the hand-to-hand combat.
Now no movie goes without sin. The biggest problem in The Woman King is the historical inaccuracies. Yes, it is based on true events, but many people have felt this has gone unjust because Dahomey was not how they appeared on the screen. They did sell palm oil more than people, but they were still heavily involved in the slave trade, which begs the question of who’s the real bad guy? That’s the biggest line of defense when producing a history-driven film. What’s the point of creating a movie if many facts are blurred to fit a narrative? Of course, this stems from wanting the audience to root for the main characters. Nevertheless, many people can’t overlook this aspect because, in real life, they enslaved their own people who were traded off to Europeans and Americans. Some people in the Black community don’t feel comfortable with this massive lie considering the blood in their veins are of the men and women who were used as live stock.
Score: 4/5
I wanted to give this an even higher score, but there’s no ignoring the blatant truth. However, this film still tells a beautiful story about the characters previously stated. It touches on sexism, racism, and the sad reality of sexual assault within being captive, but this does not erase the fact that Dahomey did take part in the slave trade for much longer than what’s depicted on the screen. Check the movie out yourself to see if you can look past the truth.
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