Black is beautiful and that is especially true when it comes to “The Woman King”, where we see tough and flawed characters portrayed by beautiful black actresses.
“The Woman King” is the latest movie directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, which tells the story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s.
Inspired by true events, “The Woman King” follows the emotionally-charged epic journey of General Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she inspires King Ghezo (John Boyega) to take on the enemies determined to violate their honour and destroy their way of life.
Prince-Bythewood, who chose to direct this movie over the sequel to “The Old Guard”, does a fantastic job.
I was concerned about the accents in the film and, about 15 minutes in, it didn’t bother me any more. Unfortunately, it will annoy many Africans as there is no specific region where we can locate the accents from.
Using the Wakanda-esque accent (a general accent meant to inform viewers that people are from somewhere in Africa) is purportedly a decision that came from the studio, and it was one that left the actors in a situation where they did the best they could.
However, after getting over that hurdle, the movie pulled me into the inner political dealings of Dahomey, which is having to fight for its survival amid the threat of other tribes, and slavery.
Prince-Bythewood intentionally and slowly draws you into the story, with the precision in pacing. It is one of the reasons “The Woman King” works so well.
Another reason is how the action, of which there is a lot, is shot. It really benefits from having hard-hitting action scenes which lovers of “The Old Guard” and “John Wick” will enjoy.
The movie manages to capture intense fighting scenes, despite the lack of firearms, which are usually a crutch of many action films. While there are guns used, the action is rather focused on the skill and strength it takes to wield swords.
You really feel the weight behind the effort that we see the warriors exert on screen when they are fighting.
The story of “The Woman King”, which is based on the screenplay written by Dana Stevens, works extremely well for the most part. The story isn’t perfect but overall the movie is an enjoyable and entertaining success.
Viola Davis is a tough General Nanisca, who carries the weight of protecting her tribe, but she is also an imperfect woman who hides secrets of her own.
Thuso Mbedu plays Nawi, a young orphaned girl who has had to learn self-sufficiency, having resisted all of her adoptive father’s attempts to have her married off. When he realises that her fate is to never marry or have children, he delivers her to the palace, where she is handed over to the Agojie.
Without spoiling the arc of her character, there are many moments where Nawi’s story doesn’t work.
It instead comes across like they are trying to fit in a sub-plot that isn’t entirely cohesive with the rest of the movie; and, feels like it was inserted to appeal to a certain audience.
Other than those two issues, I was fully engrossed in the movie, which needs to be commended for its scale, and the calibre of black actresses and actors on screen.
While those of us from African countries have been accustomed to seeing black actors and actresses in our movies and on screen, we are really spoiled with “The Woman King” as we get to see them be bada**es.
South Africans will feel immense pride when watching the film as a number of our actors appear on screen in various capacities – in cameos, as featured extras or with speaking roles.
It is a moment that makes me proud seeing our talent being given the stage, and I sincerely hope that they only get more work as a result of this movie.
Prince-Bythewood has a talented cast. She said she “wanted to build an ensemble that represented the incredible diversity of our diaspora” and she achieved that.
While it might put some off, it does allow many other black people from different parts of the world to connect through the actors they have a kinship for.
“We have Thuso Mbedu, who is from South Africa; Lashana Lynch, who’s Jamaican; and Sheila Atim, who comes from the UK, but is also Ugandan. We have women from West Africa, and African-American women. That was all intentional, to bring us all together to tell the story of us. I love the energy that it brought to set,” Prince-Bythewood said.
While I can’t adequately speak to the womanhood that was on screen, it was a huge pleasure for me to witness black women in various shades, and with different personalities portray these characters on screen.
You feel the Agojie warriors form an unbreakable sisterhood on screen, and it was a delight to witness. You can usually count the number of black women on screen at any given time in a massive action Hollywood movie, and here it was remarkable to just see the whole screen be filled with black actors.
It should also be mentioned that while the movie didn’t have to go through the effort of showcasing black men on screen, it does them a huge service and gives the male actors in the film a lot to do without detracting from the story.
Everyone can take something away from “The Woman King” and Prince-Bythewood and Dana Stevens should be commended for that.
“The Woman King” celebrates the phrase that ‘black is beautiful’ in every single frame of the movie, and while not perfect, it is definitely worth the watch.
To get complex, scheming, heroic and strong black characters – exhibiting much of what it means to be black on screen – within the context of a historical movie is a treat.
“The Woman King” shows us that black people are magic, and as many people as possible need to see that.
Rating: 7.5/10
IOL