The Woman King | The strength of women (8/10)

Synopsis: Somewhere in West Africa, the kingdom of Dahomey is defended by an army of women, the Agojie, led by General Nanisca (Viola Davis). As a new generation of female warriors is formed, including the young and ambitious Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), a threat hangs over the kingdom.

Marissa Groguhe
The Press

Viola Davis’ acting in this film may earn her another Oscar. Or at least a selection. She interprets here with the accuracy that we know of a strong woman at the head of an army, a woman who knows how to fight and kill in cold blood. A woman who, we learn quite quickly, also has flaws, nightmares that haunt her.

Around her gravitate many other women, all equally majestic and fearless. Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim are very convincing in their respective roles. One is Izogie, a warrior as brave as she is funny. The other plays Amenza, magician and voice of wisdom. And then there is the young Nawi, arrogant, but also sensitive and go-getter, whose destiny we follow as we follow that of the Agojie warriors and the kingdom they protect. South African actress Thuso Mbedu is dazzling in her first feature film role.

The plot takes place in the 1920s, it is about slavery, the hold of Europeans on the people and their lands. The fictional history of the Agojie is based on the true fate of the Amazons of Dahomey, bearing the same name. Nawi is also the first name of the one considered to be the last Agojie, a Beninese woman who fought against the French army at the end of the 19th century.^e century.

The Woman King is an ode to women and their strength, to Africa and its beauty. The warriors’ bodies in motion, the breathtaking landscapes, the clothes (what a job for Gersha Phillips’ costumes!), the songs, the dances… So many things amaze you in this feature film of more than two hours. The fight scenes are grandiose, everything is sumptuously choreographed. The moments of drama are heartbreaking. The plot is gripping. The whole cast (including John Boyega, let’s underline it, who plays a convincing king in the middle of all these actresses) is fantastic.

Writer and director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball, The Old Guard) offers a film anchored in historical reality, which recalls the clashes of the past, while offering a completely captivating fictional turn.

Epic action/drama

The Woman King (French: The female king)

Gina Prince Bythewood

With Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, John Boyega and Lashana Lynch

2:15 a.m.
Indoors

8/10