“The Woman King” – a strange movie title. The jokes about whether a man could become queen after the death of Elizabeth II are dying. Since a movie starts for 50 million US dollars, the creators of the word queen is foreign?
Well, the work of Californian Gina Prince-Bythewood (53) with US actor Viola Davis (57) leads to a strictly patriarchal kingdom that existed in West Africa in 1823. In Dahomey (present-day Benin) there were no words for women in central positions, they were not intended for this. But with one exception: the Agojie, whose historical originals also inspired the Dora Milaje task force in “Black Panther” (2018). Amazons with a loyalty like 007, but with unbridled brutality, as you know from the Scotsman William Wallace (Mel Gibson) from “Braveheart” (1995).
Davis embodies the Agojie general Nanisca, who leads her amazons with a scimitar and a shrill field call. A wonderfully harsh and tough role that the Oscar winner (“Fences”) fills impressively: never just as a fighting machine, but always as an empathetic leader and often a gentle mother figure.
Davis helps something like that over probing questions that trigger an uncomfortably loose dramaturgy: What exactly is Nanisca’s overarching goal? How do you follow her? She acts on many fronts – as a critical advisor to her young king (“Star Wars” star John Boyega) and as a trainer of the rebellious Nawi (Thuso Mbedu, “The Underground Railroad”), at the same time she fights against enemy tribes on the border and a devastating development.
Sounds like a lot? It is. Prince-Bythewoode also fails to incorporate the historical context she uses in a comprehensive, timely, and elegant manner. Nanisca’s fate unfolds against the background of the transatlantic slave trade (16th to 19th centuries) in which her king participated: her own people are sold to the Portuguese to increase their wealth. At the beginning, a single insert draws attention to this fact as well as to internal and cross-border tensions.
That’s not enough foundation for a complex film. Blockbuster elements (romance, family) and current replicas of feminism, racism and black cinema don’t simplify the whole thing.
With her role, Davis only wanted to remind women of their strength and fighting spirit. That will probably work. The well-choreographed fights, for which digital aids were not used, will also be remembered. They are less suitable for the faint-hearted.
The Woman King: CDN/USA 2022 134 M., in cinemas now
OÖN Rating:
- The trailer for the film:
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Source: Nachrichten
