Riot’s Movie Reviews: The Woman King
Alright, let’s get the awkward/controversial part out of the way first. I have always been a little wary of any film that takes on the moniker of “based on true events.” Regarding historical events, writers and directors should never portray themselves as arbiters of objectivity, because everyone has an agenda. For obvious reasons, The Woman King is not impervious to this and the biases clearly show. A cursory glimpse at Wikipedia (or even the online reviews) will tell you that history remembers the slave trade and the role the Kingdom of Dahomey played in it very differently than what was portrayed in this film. Frankly, as a person that is unfamiliar with African history, it’s simply not my place to pass any judgment here because the controversy surrounding this film is messy to say the least. Was there an agenda to glorify a tribe of active slave traders? Maybe, but then someone would have to explain the motivations of a Caucasian woman and an Italian woman putting together the script. Is it an attempt to rewrite history? Sure, but then they would have to explain why the characters actively admit they participate and make money off of slave trade. Someone could write an entire compare/contrast research paper on this subject, but it’s certainly not going to be ‘ol Riot. I say all this to merely point out that I will be giving my recommendation based on the quality of the film and the value of its storytelling aspects. Whether or not you, as the viewer, can look past its “historical inaccuracies” is up to you.
If there was any single aspect of the film that is indisputable, it would be that the performances of this expansive cast are almost beyond reproach. Viola Davis (Nanisca) in particular put on a master class in acting. As general of the Agojie, she leads her troupe of female warriors with a commanding presence but when shown outside of her position, shows a vast range of emotion that is triggered by her trauma and experience. Her two closest compatriots, Lashana Lynch (Izogie) and Sheila Atim (Amenza), are equally compelling in their roles. Izogie is a mentor that upcoming warriors idolize and Amenza is the personal confidant that tries to guide Nanisca through her torments. Two newcomer warriors Thuso Mbedu (Nawi, arguably the real central figure to the story) and Adrienne Warren (Ode) help add to the immense depth of talent in this tale. Honestly, I could go on raving about the performances, but we would be stuck on this for far too long.
The preview of the film I think led many to believe it was more action packed than it actually was. This in no way diminishes just how good the action scenes are. Combat in films is usually forced to strike a balance between gore and fighting. Some films unexpectedly take the gore aspect a little too far (Bullet Train for instance). The Woman King strikes the right kind of equilibrium, depicting enough of the blood and battle wounds to make the scenes believable while also being incredibly creative with the fight choreography. Outside of its action sequences though, the actual plot development was something to be envious of. These women (and a few men) have a vast range of subplots and relatable motivations that draw the audience into the story. In summation, The Woman King builds characters from the ground up, making their female empowerment stories believable and not solely at the expense of the male characters around them (in comparison, I point to almost every Disney story out there currently). When you design empathetic characters who believe in admirable things, arguments about physicality are able to take a back seat, because you actually care about these women and what they are trying to accomplish. When your characters espouse honor, commitment, responsibility, companionship, strength, and endurance, you’d be hard pressed to find people rooting against them.
By happenstance, I bought a ticket to the wrong theater (same city, different location), but was given a free upgrade to see the film in IMAX. (Thanks for the bump up Regal). That being said, do not see this film in IMAX. I think the way The Woman King was shot can be described in one word: intimate. Much of the film is spent in one-on-one dialogue between characters, making it way too much for an IMAX screen (you could literally see every pore). I think this also translated into the action/battle scenes, with the fight choreography being too dynamic for how close each shot was. Additionally (and this is just a personal gripe) I found it hard to understand what the characters were saying at times (however, considering I’ve made this complaint before, maybe I need to get my hearing checked). This time, I think it was the accents that were tripping me up more than anything else. As genuine as they were, they make some of the dialogue delivery a bit tough to follow. Also, the film’s run time does feel a little long, but I think it was easy to get caught up in the character development to not be a detriment. I would be hard pressed to find things to cut.
The Woman King, set aside from its complicated historical reference, is a fantastic film. Creatively, this movie could have been nearly perfect had the writers chosen to stay away from the problematic history of the Dahomey. Which again brings me to beg the question (I’ve complained about this before), given free rein on the creative realm, why hitch the story to something so controversial and historically documented? Simply put, couldn’t the writers have chosen to create a fictional nation so that they could avoid the scrutiny of Dahomey’s troubled past? This film really has so much going for it. It had authentic humor, intense action sequences, gut-wrenching tragedy, unexpected (and some expected) plot twists, and genuine, heartfelt moments. What I will inevitably come away with is a film that felt more like a love letter to African culture. The music/score/singing is hauntingly beautiful. The dancing scenes (both war and cultural) were fascinating to say the least. The set and costume designs were impeccable. In all honesty, I found myself so drawn into the acting and storytelling that I simply forgot the historical context. Maybe that’s the way it should have been written from the start.
Riot’s Rating: 9/10
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