The Woman King is a 2022 historical epic directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and led by Viola Davis. The film follows the Agojie, an all-female army that defended the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. The narrative situates Dahomey amid the rising Atlantic slave trade and European traders on the West African coast. The film faced criticism for a revisionist portrayal of history, notably reframing Dahomey's involvement in supplying captives and presenting Agojie general Nanisca as an advocate for change. The movie achieved box-office success and critical acclaim but continues to feel overlooked despite wider streaming availability.
That film is The Woman King. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and featuring a stacked cast led by Viola Davis, it's one of the decade's best historical epics. It's also one of the most slept-on blockbusters of the 2020s, but now that it's headed to HBO Max, it's high time it gets a second look. The Woman King's subject matter alone makes it unlike anything we've seen before. It's a mainstream blockbuster in the vein of Gladiator or The Northman, but made by Black women for Black women.
The film follows the adventures of the Agojie, an all-female army that fought for the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. It did face some flak when it hit theaters, largely due to its revisionist take on history; the Agojie and their king, Ghezo (John Boyega), existed in real life, and were often regarded as villains. Prince-Bythewood, directing a script by Dana Stevens, leads audiences back to a contentious chapter in history, when the Atlantic slave trade was becoming an enterprise too lucrative to ignore, and Portuguese and French traders were landing on the West African coast to collect their "cargo."
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