Gina Prince-Bythewood’s films are known for their rich character analysis, and she proved it again in the period action drama The female king. The epic film set in Africa is directed by none other than Academy Award winner Viola Davis.
The female king follows an army of female warriors called the Agojie, who are also said to be the same group that inspired Black PantherThis is Dora Milaje. Their mission is to defend the kingdom of Dahomey against slave traders. Viola Davis plays General Nanisca, under the command of King Ghezo, portrayed by John Boyega. Women live and train to become the fiercest warriors.
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The Woman King: Untold Stories from the Past
The concept was proposed by Davis, saying Prince-Bythewood was so moved she cried after hearing the story. “When a director has that level of passion and vulnerability for the work, they’re going to treat it like their child. I figured out it was Gina’s magnum opus in the bedroom“Davis said in an interview with New York Times.
Prince-Bythewood revealed in the interview that she found out that Davis was planning to do a film about female warriors about five years ago. They approached her, but the script wasn’t available yet. Meanwhile, the director was on another project, so she told them to come back when they already had the script. They did it.
When it was over, Black Panther just came out, and Prince-Bythewood recalled that the Dora Milaje is based on actual female warriors. She read the script and five pages later decided to take on the project.
“It was just excitement, excitement, excitement because the story was grounded in truth and a specific war that happened at a specific time, then led to a greater great war against the colonizers. The more I learned about them, the more excited I was to bring this amazing culture – and us – to the screen in a way that we couldn’t see each other..”
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Audience reactions to the Woman King
Fans are celebrating the film as another giant leap towards diversity and inclusivity in Hollywood. As a work of art with an almost all-black cast and women in the lead, it represents a historic event the world needs to know about.
Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter about The female king:
OH MY GOD! I just saw The Woman King and it was AMAZING! @violadavis was *incredible* as well as all the other actresses! See it! See it! See it! Great fight scenes too. The last time I felt like crying at the end of a movie was during Black Panther 👏🏾✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/XBT7DSKM4D
— Mikki Devine (@mikdev) September 15, 2022
“The Woman King” is an epic masterpiece unlike any movie you’ve seen before with its stunning visuals, action, honesty, and portrayal. It will stir your soul, give you chills and make you applaud each of these beautiful female characters. #TheWomanKing pic.twitter.com/mBU8SbRYrZ
— Nikki Fowler (@NikkiFowler28) September 10, 2022
#TheWomanKing is an instant classic. Beautiful & Badass, Viola Davis kills as always. Lashana Lynch is amazing, Sheila Atim is amazing, and Thuso Mbedu steals the show as the heart/soul of the whole movie! Blythewood has created an epic that we no longer see from Hollywood. pic.twitter.com/MsaVtzMS0X
— Zach Pope (@popetheking) September 10, 2022
The female king features an admirable female-led cast, and the intriguing plot honors the characters’ legacy. Note that the Agojie spoke in English with a particular accent to allow the public to follow the story more easily. As Viola Davis said in her Tweeter“This is my magnum opus. I’ve never had a role like this before, it’s been one of the most transformative experiences of my life.”
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