The Woman King is a 2022 historical epic film from writer Dana Stevens and director Gina Prince-Bythewood. It stars Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega, and was released on September 16th, 2022.
The film is about the Agojie, the female warriors of the Dahomey kingdom led by General Nanisca (Davis). As they train a new set of young warriors, they face a threat against their enemies, the Oyo Empire, along with European slave traders.
The film provides examples of:
- Amazon Brigade: The Agojie are one of the most famous Real Life examples (having even been nicknamed "Amazons" by the Europeans who encountered them). Their training, way of life, and role in Dahomey society are all depicted here.
- Arranged Marriage: Nawi is handed over to the Agojie in part because she has resisted several of these. In some ways, becoming an Agojie is also an arranged marriage of sorts to the king.
- Artistic License – History: The Kingdom of Dahomey was a real nation ruled by King Ghezo, but their culture and politics are changed to make them look better and their enemies look worse.
- Their moral opposition to the slave trade is a key plotpoint of the film, but in real life Dahomey was just as proslavery as any other African kingdom (it was a particularly predatorial one, having conquered and enslaved several other African states) and continued to participate in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade until it simply became unprofitable. In fact, while Ghezo did explore trading palm oil at one point as depicted in the film, he went back to trading slaves because palm oil wasn't as profitable as them.
- Nanisca is a fictional character, her name being probably a reference to a Dahomey teenager who appears in a historical chronicle.
- Santo Ferreira seems to be a No Historical Figures Were Harmed version of Francisco Félix de Sousa, a Brazilian slave trader who was the most powerful of his kind at the time and place. Ironically, the real De Sousa was not an enemy to the Dahomey, but a benefactor and trading partner who helped Ghezo ascend to the throne in a coup and later became their main client in the slave trade. Also, although Ferreira is played by the very white Hero Fiennes, De Sousa was actually mestiço, or possibly a pale mulatto, if not both (people of all races participated happily in the slave trade, especially in the multi-ethnic Portuguese Empire).
- Many aspects of their society, including their rites of large-scale Human Sacrifice, are dropped from the film completely.
- The Kingdom of Dahomey didn't clash with European colonization until forty years after the movie is set, instead of it being a looming threat as in the movie, and it was against France, not Portugal/Brazil. The Portuguese Empire had been a friendly trading partner to Dahomey for many years and there was no reason to upset the status quo after Brazil's independence.
- Badass Army: The Agojie are a fierce fighting force, with rigorous training and iron commitment to Dahomey. They are shown defeating numerous numerically superior opponents throughout the film.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Nanisca teaches the Agojie that their fate if they are captured is so horrendous (Exemplified by her own mass-rape when she was captured in her youth) that they should slit their own throats rather than submit. Izogie plans to kill herself when captured after the battle with the Oyo, but Nawi convinces her to instead try to escape.
- Big Bad: General Oba Ade of the Oyo Empire, who seeks to enslave and sell Dahomey villagers. He is also the source of Nanisca’s past trauma and her drive for revenge, as he repeatedly raped her in captivity.
- Boring, but Practical: The humble rope, which Nawi initially disdains during training. In a later battle, she wrecks opponents by attaching a dagger to one end and letting it fly.
- Bullying a Dragon: King Ghezo and Santo Ferreira antagonize each other, both of them thinking that they have the upper hand and that the other is overstepping. Santo points out that if Dahomey stops supplying slaves to him (and the Oyo) then he will stop supplying Dahomey with firearms and other European products, which will leave them at the mercy of their neighbors. Ghezo may still be king, but "king of mud", so Ghezo better not make Santo unwilling to protect him. Ghezo in turn points out that he will still be king, unlike Santo, and Santo better remember that he needs to prove himself useful to Ghezo to retain his favor. It is eventually proven that Ghezo is the true "dragon", as Dahomey is able to overwhelm the Oyo and destroy the slaver city without any help from Santo.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Upon confronting Oba Ade, the man who raped her, Nanisca realizes he doesn't remember her at all.
- Chekhov's Skill: Nawi's use of exploding gunpowder for a prank is observed by Nanisca and later used to defeat the Oyo army.
- Child by Rape: Nawi is Nanisca's daughter, as she was repeatedly raped by Oba Ade. Nanisca gave her away because childbearing is forbidden to the Agojie.
- The Consigliere: Amenza is this to Nanisca, as the two are old enough friends that she is not the slightest bit cowed by Nanisca's rank.
- Cool Big Sis: Izogie takes this role for most of the new recruits to the Agojie "family", particularly Nawi.
- Cycle of Revenge: The Dahomey are caught in a seemingly endless cycle of raiding with all of the other tribes surrounding them. The film opens with the Agojie raiding a Mahi village to rescue captured Dahomey people, and they take the surviving Mahi as their own prisoners after winning the battle. Nanisca's hope of ending the constant back-and-forth is one of the reasons she wants to end Dahomey's participation in the slave trade.
- David Versus Goliath: A weaker opponent taking down a stronger one is a recurring theme throughout the film. It is presented large-scale in the confrontation between Dahomey and the Oyo, and more personally in Nanisca's grudge against Oba Ade. The Dahomey even have several proverbs on the subject.Sometimes, a termite can take down an elephant.
- The Dead Have Names: The mid-credits stinger is Amenza listing the names of all Agojie who died while performing a funerary ritual.
- Decapitation Presentation: When the Dahomey have finally decided to reject giving tribute to the Oyo completely, they send the Agojie to deliver a basket as "tribute" filled with the heads of the Oyo soldiers that had been left on their land.
- Did Not Get the Girl: Nawi and Malik do not end up together. They share a significant look while the slaver's town is destroyed, but go their separate ways as Nawi returns to Dahomey with the Agojie and Malik is left to find his own way in the world.
- The Dog Bites Back:
- The captive villagers are set free by Malik, and the first thing they do is beat Ferreira before drowning him.
- After having been captured and raped by Oba Ade as a young woman, Nanisca kills him in the climax.
- Due to the Dead:
- The Dahomey give offerings to the dead, and there is an altar in the palace for such offerings.
- In The Stinger Amenza lists the names of all Agojie who died while performing the offerings for them.
- Every Scar Has a Story: The warrior Agojie accumulate plenty from their training and battles and swap stories about them. Nawi's scar on her left arm, which her adopted father called the "devil's mark", makes Nanisca realize that Nawi is the daughter she gave away years ago.
- Family of Choice: The Agojie treat each other as a new family, formed from their community instead of blood or marriage. This why even the women of other tribes join their ranks, because it is a place for them to belong.
- Forced into Evil: This is how the Dahomey's participation in the slave trade is justified in the story. They are depicted as being dependent on supplying slaves to the Oyo Empire and European slave traders to support themselves and their independence, under threat of total destruction and full enslavement of their people if they do not comply.
- Four-Star Badass: Nanisca continues to serve on the front lines with her troops despite her age and importance in leading her people.
- Gone Swimming, Clothes Stolen: Malik and Nawi meet when she comes across him bathing in the jungle, and she steals his clothes. She intends to send him home naked in embarrassment, but relents when she learns that he is half-Dahomey.
- Half-Breed Angst: Malik is half-Dahomey, born to a woman taken from there as a slave years ago. He has journeyed here to reconnect with his heritage, and though raised by his wealthy father he is horrified to see slavery carried out.
- Hand-or-Object Underwear: Malik desperately covers himself with his hands when Nawi steals his clothes while he is swimming.
- Hegemonic Empire: The Oyo outnumber the Dahomey as it is, but their real supremacy comes from their alliances with all of the other tribes in the area to swell their numbers even larger. The Oyo offer protection and access to imported European goods.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: The film follows the story of the Dahomey kingdom, who are depicted as heroic for resisting the oppression of the rival Oyo Empire, particularly against the Oyo capturing and enslaving Dahomey citizens to sell to Europeans. The film doesn't ignore that the Dahomey were themselves prolific slave traders, but it does depict the Agojie and King Ghezo as being reluctant participants who halt their own slave trading as soon as they feel they can successfully resist the more powerful Oyo.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: The Oyo Empire are portrayed as slavers and the aggressor in the conflict, when the Dahomey also invaded and enslaved the Oyo and their allies in roughly equal measure. Both kingdoms were active slavers independently even before the Transatlantic Slave Trade began.
- Implausible Deniability: In the raid on the Mahi village which opens the film, Nanisca pins a Mahi man and demands to know where their captured villagers are being kept. The man denies taking anybody captive and insists that the Mahi are farmers, only for one of the Agojie to reveal them shackled in a hut immediately besides them.
- The Lancer: Izogie and Amenza function as Co-Lancers to Nanisca.
- Leave No Survivors: Normally, after a battle the Dahomey take their surviving enemies as prisoners to sell as slaves. When they attack the slaver's port, Nanisca specifically orders that she wants no prisoners this time.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Nanisca reveals to Nawi that she is her mother, and that by extension Oba Ade is her father.
- Military Maverick: Nawi has trouble following orders. She also questions many of the Agojie's rules. Nevertheless, she still becomes the top recruit of her cohort and a competent warrior in her own right.
- Mr. Fanservice: Malik, whose bathing scene demonstrates that he's extremely fit and muscular. He's also the Token Good Teammate of the Portuguese traders and clearly adores Nawi, providing very strong temptation for her to break the Vow Of Chastity required of the Agojie.
- Naïve Newcomer: Nawi is this to the Agojie, while Malik is this to the politics and society of West Africa.
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: One of the key pillars of Oyo domination is their cavalry, which the other tribes do not have due to the difficulties in raising horses in the area. Simply having a cavalry gives them a martial edge.
- Not Rare Over There: The Oyo are the only ones with a cavalry due to a lack of native horses in the region. In foreign lands horses are easy to breed, but in this region it gives the Oyo a martial edge over all their neighbors.
- Old Soldier: Nanisca's age is never made clear, but Viola Davis was in her early 50s during filming. In any case, Nanisca is clearly an experienced veteran, and the scars of combat cause her to spend a great deal of time resting between battles.
- Parental Abandonment: Nawi becomes an Agojie because her father is done with her refusal to enter a financially beneficial arranged marriage and dumps her at the palace. It turns out that this is not the first time she was abandoned, as this was her adopted father; her mother, Nanisca, gave her away due to being a Child by Rape and because she wanted to stay with the Agojie.
- Politically Correct History: The Agojie are portrayed as being anti-slavery, and the Dahomey's practices in general are heavily toned down to keep them sympathetic.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: General Oba Ade makes a big point of rallying other tribes to the Oyo by lambasting the Dahomey for using women warriors.
- Puppet State: Dahomey is under the sway of the Oyo Empire, and they need to give the Oyo tribute on a regular basis. This includes both imported European products and slaves. They predominantly raid other tribes for the slave tribute but must also provide their own people if required by the Oyo.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: The Dahomey are caught in a seemingly endless cycle of raiding with all of the other tribes surrounding them. The film opens with the Agojie raiding a Mahi village to rescue captured Dahomey people, and they take the surviving Mahi as their own prisoners after winning the battle. Nanisca's hope of ending the constant back-and-forth is one of the reasons she wants to end Dahomey's participation in the slave trade.
- Rousing Speech: Nanisca gives one to the Agojie when they prepare for the showdown with the Oyo.
- Royal Harem:
- King Ghezo has a large number of wives who live in the palace, and no men (except eunuchs) are allowed within the walls after sundown. The wives have some influence with the king, but no authority, and Ghezo's apparent favorite resents the way he prioritizes Nanisca over them.
- By some interpretations, the Agojie are all married to the king, and thus are part of his harem as well. This is why they are forbidden from marriage or childbearing, and also why others must avert their eyes from them when they are outside the palace.
- Shown Their Work:
- Though they made many changes for the sake of the story, the film includes several references to the real-life rule of King Ghezo and Dahomey's struggle with the Oyo in the early 19th century.
- While Nanisca is fictional, there were political factions that opposed slavery in the Dahomey kingdom. The Fly Party
supported ending the slave trade and included Agojie in its ranks.
- The Spartan Way: The Agojie go through grueling training to be able to outfight anybody they face in combat. The final challenge even includes running through literal thorn barricades.
- Spoiler Title: Nanisca only becomes the titular "woman king" at the very end of the movie.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Nawi and Malik, because the Agojie take a Vow of Celibacy and Nawi will be banished if they get together.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Although they initially look to be friends, this is eventually revealed to be the case with Malik and Santo. Santo actually looks down on Malik for being mixed race and growing up poor, while Malik is furious with Santo's proud participation in the brutal slave trade. When Malik confronts Santo on selling the Dahomey, Santo actually threatens to put Malik himself on the block for auction.
- The Stinger: Amenza lists the names of all the Agojie who died while performing a funerary ritual.
- Switch to English: Santo Ferreira and Malik speak Portuguese with each other, but switch to Fon (presented as accented-English) in Dahomey. Malik does it to be polite to Nawi, while Santo does it because King Ghezo orders him to.
- Title Drop: Dahomey has a custom of appointing a woman to rule alongside and equal to the King, based on their worship of Twin Gods and their belief in duality. Ghezo's predecessor did not honor the tradition, but now people talk about their expectation for Ghezo to appoint a Woman King to rule beside him.
- Token Good Teammate: Malik is a friend of Santo Ferreira who travelled with him to Dahomey aboard a slave ship, but is disgusted when he actually sees slavery in progress. His mother was Dahomey and he is travelling here to reconnect with her homeland. He eventually turns on Santo and frees a group of slaves himself.
- Training Montage: The Agojie recruits get one.
- Translation Convention: The Fon language of Dahomey is portrayed as accented-English by the protagonists, while the Portuguese spoken by foreigners is translated via subtitles.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: King Ghezo is a historical figure, and during his reign the kingdom of Dahomey did rebel against Oyo dominion and established their independence. The other characters, and the motivations and philosophy behind Ghezo's actions, are all original to the film.
- Vow of Celibacy: The Agojie are legally married to the king and are thus not supposed to have other sexual partners. Nanisca thus had to hide her pregnancy after her rape to keep her status in the only family she has ever known. Nawi has difficulty keeping the vow after meeting Malik.
- You Have Failed Me: General Oba Ade realizes that he cannot return to Oyo after losing the battle against the Dahome, since he will be killed. He hopes to sell the captives he managed to take and use the money to book passage away.
