The Woman King: Bop or Flop?

Does it have to be historically accurate to be worth the watch?

IMDb

Drama/Action, 2 hr 14 min, PG-13

Released: September 16, 2022

Starring: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedo, Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Sheila Atim

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

What’s it about? In the 1800s, a group of all-female warriors protects the African kingdom of Dahomey with skills and fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Faced with a new threat, Gen. Nanisca trains the next generation of recruits to fight against a foreign enemy that's determined to destroy their way of life.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95% | IMDb Score: 6.1/10 | Metacritic Score: 77%

Bop or Flop? *SPOILERS AHEAD*

Let me start by saying this: any time Viola Davis stars in something, I know to prepare myself for an emotional journey. In this role, she captures Nanisca's ferocity, strength, and vulnerability with an exemplary performance. From her very first scene and the way she commanded her army to attack the Oyo, I was enthralled by her physical and emotional robustness.

IMDb

I've seen the film twice now, and I must admit, the first watch was kind of hard for me. The subject matter is heavy despite the journey to a victory. Themes of sexism, violence, rape, slavery, generational trauma, betrayal, colorism, etc. are tough.

Though it was incredible to see what an all-woman army was capable of, in all their strength, it made me think of a recent topic discussed on Twitter about resiliency. Resilience, traditionally viewed as a trait to be proud of, should be reemphasized as a tactic for survival.

I wish my people didn't have to be so resilient throughout history and even in modern times. Like some in my generation, I am reanalyzing if the term should be used as a compliment. Don't get me wrong - resilience is indeed an impressive quality, and there is power in overcoming all the harrowing events life can bring. However, it's okay to acknowledge the ways trauma weakens you, and the all the work that comes with healing. Sometimes, you wish the trauma never happened at all, and that is okay, too.

In the movie, refugees and outcasted women chose to be in the army. For most, being a part of the Agojie was the only place they felt free of the restrictions of the outside world, free of captivity and other horrors reserved for women of that time.

Distractify

The lead actress, Thuso Mbedi, who plays Nawi, is an incredible actress (who is a lot older than she appears), and has a cry more that impressive than even Viola's. Her cries of not having an easy life and her tears over the fallen Izogie were powerfully moving. Thuso is certainly a star on the rise.

This film had everything, from West African culture, polytheism, history (though not completely accurate), trauma, triumph, action, and even a bit of romance. (I, personally, would have folded for Malik... John Boyega as King Ghezo as well :)

The plot was layered with the complexities of Africans' participation in the slave trade, what it meant to be a free woman, and all illustrated through rich visuals and excellent cast performances. More so, it's not often we get a cast full of dark skinned people with natural hair and more traditionally African features in Hollywood.

Forbes

Throughout the film, there are lots of visuals symbolizing the pain, beauty and regality of Blackness, especially in the scenes after Nanisca is crowned Woman King.

The scars on her back, along with her new royal garb, represent how it feels to be a Black woman even to this day. So many of us are resilient, and can even be considered warriors in our own way. So often, Black women have to balance our strength with our vulnerability, navigating when and how to push the boundaries of the heteropatriarchy, always challenging social norms.

The film addresses a time in history when slave trade was becoming an accepted norm. Kings before Ghezo had participated, and in the film, King Ghezo and Gen. Nanisca were actively seeking out of the vicious cycle of selling Africans for weaponry. In truth, the Dahomey kingdom's participation in the slave trade was only temporarily halted, as palm oil proved to be far less lucrative than human captives.

IMDb

The unadulterated history is rumored to be the reason why Lupita Nyong'o dropped out of the production. In 2019, Warrior Women With Lupita Nyong'o was released, where she journeyed across Benin, West Africa to uncover the forgotten female army (Fun fact: the Agojie inspired Black Panther's Dora Milaje).

Other than the documentary, this is the first time the story of the Agojie has been brought to the big screen. Despite the liberties taken with the history of Dahomey's participation in the slave trade, I don't fault the director for taking these liberties. The film was meant to be empowering and ended on a victorious note (that wasn't completely untrue).

The story was well intentioned, so I don't think it should be boycotted, as was encouraged by a hashtag on Twitter. The film is definitely a bop. I highly recommend seeing the film, unpacking the story, researching the full history for a deeper understanding, and then unpacking again.

IMdb

Thinking about this being non-fiction, and being reminded of all my ancestors had to go through was heavy. It will never be easy to see a story that involves my people in cages and chains, seeing the joy leave their bodies when they are captured, even if only for a few moments before the slave trade was burned to the ground.

One thing about slavery - the truth of what happened will always be a thousand times worse than anything we've ever seen depicted in a movie, TV show, documentary or even a history book.

Ultimately, this is a very different feature than Prince-Byethewood's Love and Basketball, and it shows her growth as a director.

The Woman King is in theaters, but no longer in IMAX due to the re-release of Avatar.

Emelah’s Score: 🎥 🎥 🎥 🎥 🎥