The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is one of the best 2022 movies of the year to watch. It tells the story of the Agojie, a fierce group of all-female warriors, whose life mission is to protect the African kingdom of Dahomey, ruled by King Ghezo. Many new recruits are trained, as a new enemy jeopardizes their very existence.
The strong bonds that are formed in the sisterly warriorhood felt most authentic between Thuso Mbedu, who plays Nawi, a young recruit who is determined to prove she is ready to fight, and her mentor, Izogie, played by Lashana Lynch. The interaction between them was beautiful and felt almost effortless.
Let’s not forget a force that is not to be reckoned with, General Nanisca, played by Viola Davis. A stunning performance, as she is challenged by Nawi’s disobedience, yet intensely confronted by her own buried trauma.
There is an overpouring of emotion in this movie and a ton of high-energy battles. The amount of training that was required is highly commendable and made me exhausted to even think about. Jénel Stevens did a fantastic job on the choreographed fight scenes.
My final thoughts here: If you want to battle over the "based on true events" narrative, keep in mind, every director has their own vision of how they want to tell a story. It may not be how you would do it, but knowing this was not going to be completely factual, I can still always appreciate the commitment and passion that was put forth in The Woman King, the emotions I felt, the incredible acting, and the overall impact it left.
💜Have you seen this film? What did you think? I always love to hear your thoughts!
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