The term “history” is always loosely utilized when it comes to film, isn’t it?
The genre of historical epic does not always imply that this is a real story or a true story. But this film takes a historical context and builds a narrative into it. I will die on the hill to say that Ben-Hur is the greatest historical epic of all. But there have been countless examples of great films in this genre and even some of them have some truth to them. Just because it is not required does not mean a historical epic cannot tell a true story. That is certainly the case with The Woman King.
Before we get into the merits of this film as a film, maybe we should give a bit of context?
First off, this is a story about a strong African woman…written by two white women. Not to say that is inherently a bad thing but it does seem odd for a film that needs to focus on this specific experience. Unfortunately, there seems to be some historical sanitization going on as well. The film portrays a society overcoming a history of slavery to do what is right and destroy a whole slave trading post. That is not exactly how things went as it appears. Fictional characters drive this heroic story which focuses on a slave-driven society well past even England abolishing it. Like many revisionist histories on film (looking at you, Braveheart), it might be best to go in and not expect reality and just appreciate a fictional tale of sisterhood and honor.
What about the film itself?
This is a great film that capitalizes on some really impressive elements to create a worthwhile historical epic. First off, the filmmaking. Gina Prince-Bythewood directs like a champion with the scale that is expected of this film. The action is exciting, visceral, and well-choreographed. We saw this with her previous film The Old Guard as the action is so important when portraying a tribe of great warrior women. The emotional tension is high as we are seeing actual stakes on the line for the characters we love in the film. The production is impressive and the world that Prince-Buthewood creates is completely engrossing.
Even if the overall arc of the film takes liberties with history, how does the actual story be told?
The core of this film is the power of sisterhood. We feel, we understand it, and these characters connect in such deep and meaningful ways. We get plenty of familiar beats of a young woman (Nawi portrayed by Thuse Mbedu) coming into this tribe. We see training, competition, and actual battling with real stakes. There is a lot more to Nawi’s journey than we could ever expect, and this brings so much more connection and meaning to it. There are broader ideas about gender roles, sisterhood, and slavery that deliver. All things flow together leading up to massive action-based blow-offs that deliver impressively. We can forget the stale and pointless romance that occurs…so let’s not talk about it.
What elements of the film make this sisterhood come to life?
This cast. Mbedu is a strong and powerful force in this film. She can deliver so much physicality with her performance while offering an emotional range that is completely unexpected. Viola Davis is an absolute force to be reckoned with in this film. She leads this tribe and she put in the work to look the part. She is working on so many levels and must deliver important emotional beats that drive the film forward. These two actors are the key to the whole film and their chemistry together bolsters the whole thing. But they have a few other sets of shoulders to share the load. Lashana Lynch is killing it as the lead warrior. Her physicality is top-notch, and her presence is hard to ignore. Sheila Atim is both physically impressive in her role and portrays Davis’s companion with great care. John Boyega is having plenty of fun as the king of this kingdom. It is nice to see a film giving him things to do and the chance to stand out.
Is The Woman King a historical epic worth experiencing?
This is one of the strongest epics that we have seen in a while.
Tweet
The performers make this film quite special. Prince-Bythewood delivers some impressive direction to the film flaunting impressive action. The theaters need a film like this right now and hopefully, you join the rest and check this one out on the big screen.
