seeing The Woman King, the most recent film from director Gina Prince-Bythewood, one thing is clear: her style, as explosive as it is sensitive and revolutionary, is unique. Refreshing the subgenre of historical drama is no easy task, but she does it effortlessly and elegantly in this project that never lets the audience down. With star-studded performance, bracing action, and a relevant true backstory, the result is nothing short of epic.
Prince-Bythewood already delivered in The old guard (2020) a welcome reinterpretation of the comic book-based cinema formula, turning the typical personalities and behaviors of the indestructible figures that usually star in this type of story upside down, giving them human conflicts that were logical considering the fact that they were He spoke of immortal beings. The element of immortality was key, placing the characters in numerous historical contexts from the past that are commonly portrayed in a somewhat one-dimensional way, but which became more nuanced in his hands, largely due to his contemporary and thoughtful perspective. The same thing happens here: from the first minutes we understand that we are facing a work that explores the past, although it is not at odds with the concerns of this century.
Set in West Africa in 1823, the film follows Nanisca (Viola Davis), a warrior commander in the Agojie army, which is made up entirely of women. They are in charge of protecting the Dahomey people, led by King Ghezo (John Boyega). Several women have been kidnapped by slavers from the Oyo empire, with whom they maintain a rivalry. Additionally, the Oyo have formed an alliance with Portuguese slavers. In order to protect the people from him, Ghezo asks Nanisca to train the other warriors to start a battle to free them from the yoke of their neighbors’ alliance with the Europeans. Such is the force that the commander displays during the war that she, eventually – and thanks to a fortunate tradition – she is named Woman King. That is, someone who will rule alongside Ghezo, with the same level of power.
For the most part, this did happen. The Agoije did fight, they did organize, they did defend what was theirs. Where the narrative takes more freedom is in the presentation of Nanisca and other characters. The leader did not exist in reality, nor did many of her companions. But by including them in the events, the film becomes more proactive.
The main success –because there are many– is in the script, written by Dana Stevens (An angel in love) based on a story she herself wrote with the actress Maria Bello (ER). At no time is the fact that war, slavery and many other atrocities are caused by male oppression forgotten. However, he chooses not to portray several of the men surrounding the female soldiers as heartless villains. The writers take every opportunity to tell us that nothing is black and white, exploring the gray areas with a lot of optimism. Not only is it nice to see that, as a product of a wise revisionism, both the king and a Portuguese soldier take the side of the warriors, but also, most of the duration of the film is dedicated to presenting the great combatants as people with other activities.
criticism of The Woman King
That’s where the nuances that we talked about before appear. Despite what they have suffered and endured for years, the Agojie are not treated in the production as victims who only seek revenge. They laugh, they dance, they make jokes. They live their lives remembering their past as a motor, but without falling into the stereotype of women who only have the purpose of fighting. Again, it is worth mentioning that sad and violent events are never erased, but the decision is made not to stay in them for long.
This realistic exploration of feelings allows the film to play with other elements. For example, photography. With stunning, overly colorful shots that make the most of today’s technology, Polly Morgan (the wild girl) makes each scene a living painting that constantly stimulates us.
It’s also important to talk about the production design, done by Akin McKenzie (Native Son), and the costumes, made by Gersha Phillips (Star Trek Discovery). The mix of their talents gives the project a grand scale and a theatrical quality that graces the screen.
Although there is a combo that stands out greatly: that of the action sequences and the performances. The Agojie raise their sticks, shields, rifles and knives to defend themselves and to defend everything that matters to them and that has been taken from them for years. They run, jump and attack firmly, with calculated movements, fast, ferocious. Suddenly, we are with them. His energy has sucked us into the screen. And there, in the midst of the relentless tumult that makes the room floor reverberate, Viola Davis’s intense eyes and the grace of her actions make us realize that, without a doubt, she was the right actress to lead her sisters in fiction, who follow it without asking questions.
The war ends and we can only stare ahead while The Woman King is cheered by her community. Because she laid waste to her oppressors to free herself from her. To fulfill the promise that she made between songs to the other women she trained: “Live for them.” Now, her legacy will live on forever.
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Jose Roberto Landaverde Film buff and music lover. I am fascinated by writing, listening, reading and commenting on everything related to the seventh art. I am a fan of Rocky and Back to the Future and of course one day I will climb the “Philly Steps” and drive a DeLorean. Faithful believer that the cinema is the best teleportation machine, and also that we can all see ourselves represented on the big screen. Constantly, like Scott Pilgrim, I ask myself: “Does bread make you fat?”