The Woman King

The Woman King is a 2022 American historical action drama film about the Agojie, the all-female warrior unit that protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 17th to 19th centuries. Set in the 1820s, the film stars Viola Davis as a general who trains the next generation of warriors to fight their enemies. It is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and written by Dana Stevens, based on a story she wrote with Maria Bello. The film also stars Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and John Boyega.
Bello conceived the idea for The Woman King in 2015 after visiting Benin, where the kingdom used to be located, and learning the history of the Agojie. She recruited Cathy Schulman to develop it into a feature film, pitching it to several studios, who turned it down due to financial concerns. After they met with TriStar Pictures in 2017, the film was greenlit in 2020. Production began in South Africa in November 2021, shut down due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant a few weeks later, and resumed in early 2022. Polly Morgan was the cinematographer. During post-production, the musical score was composed by Terence Blanchard, and editing was completed by Terilyn A. Shropshire.
The Woman King had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2022, and Sony Pictures Releasing released the film in theaters in the United States on September 16, 2022. Following the festival screening, the film received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards Davis's performance and the action choreography, though it received criticism for historical distortion of slavery. At the 28th Critics' Choice Awards the film received nominations for Best Costume Design, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director, and Best Actress for Davis. Furthermore, Davis also earned Best Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA Film Awards, and NAACP Image Awards.
==Synopsis==
The film focuses on General Nanisca of the Dahomey Amazons and Nawi, an ambitious recruit. It depicts how they "fought enemies who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they have lived for."
==Plot==
In the West African kingdom of Dahomey in 1823, General Nanisca, leader of the all-female group of warriors, the Agojie, liberates Dahomean women who were abducted by slavers from the Oyo Empire. This provokes King Ghezo of Dahomey to prepare for an all-out war with the Oyo. Nanisca begins to train a new generation of warriors to join the Agojie to protect the kingdom. Among these warriors is Nawi, a strong-willed girl who was offered by her father to the king after refusing to marry men who would beat her. Nawi befriends Izogie, a veteran Agojie. She also reveals to Nanisca that she is adopted and shows a scar on her left shoulder, shocking Nanisca.
Portuguese slave traders led by Santo Ferreira and accompanied by the half-Dahomean Malik arrive as part of an alliance with the Oyo, led by General Oba Ade. Nawi encounters Malik while the latter is bathing, and the two become friends. Shortly after graduating from training to become a full-fledged Agojie, Nawi sneaks off to speak with Malik and learns that the Oyo are planning to attack. She reports this to Nanisca, who tells her off for her recklessness. Nanisca reveals that in her youth, she was captured by Oba, raped, and impregnated. After giving birth to a daughter, Nanisca embedded a shark tooth in her left shoulder before giving her away. Nanisca helps Nawi extract the tooth, confirming that she is her biological daughter.
Nanisca leads the Agojie in an attack on the Oyo. The attack is successful, but Oba escapes and Nawi, Fumbe and Izogie are captured. With Nawi's advice, Fumbe escapes and reports the others' fate to Nanisca. Ghezo prepares to bestow the title of Woman King, his partner and equal in ruling Dahomey, upon Nanisca, but refuses to authorize a rescue mission for the captive Agojie. Meanwhile, Izogie is killed in an escape attempt and Malik buys Nawi to protect her. Nanisca defies orders and sets out with a group of like-minded warriors to rescue the captives. The chaos allows Nawi to escape and rejoin Nanisca. Malik frees several other slaves who drown Ferreira, and Nanisca kills Oba in single combat. The triumphant Agojie return to Dahomey, where Ghezo privately and briefly admonishes Nanisca for disobeying him, before crowning her the Woman King. After the festivities, Nanisca and Nawi privately acknowledge their familial relationship.
== Cast==
*Viola Davis as Nanisca
*Thuso Mbedu as Nawi
*Lashana Lynch
*Sheila Atim as Amenza
*Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Santo Ferreira
*John Boyega as King Ghezo
*Adrienne Warren as Ode
*Jayme Lawson
* Masali Baduza as Fumbe
*Angélique Kidjo
*Jimmy Odukoya
*Thando Dlomo
*Jordan Bolger
* Zozibini Tunzi
*Makgotso M as Iniya
*Siv Ngesi
==Production==
The Woman King was developed by producers Maria Bello and Cathy Schulman, written by Dana Stevens with contributions by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and directed by Prince-Bythewood. It is a co-production between TriStar Pictures and Entertainment One. On September 19, 2015, during the Women Making History Awards at the Skirball Cultural Center's National Women's History Museum in Los Angeles, Bello presented an award to actress Viola Davis. Bello took the opportunity to pitch her idea for the movie in front of the crowd. Davis recalled the audience "went wild" at the idea of seeing her in the lead role of the historical epic. In March 2018, Davis and Lupita Nyong'o were announced to star, but the latter dropped out before production began. The rest of the ensemble cast was revealed between April 2021 and January 2022.
Davis said the training for her role "started intensely a few months before shooting—four hours a day, five days a week. Weight training, sprinting, martial arts, and weaponry training for the machete." Principal photography began in November 2021 in South Africa with cinematographer Polly Morgan. During post-production, the musical score was composed by Terence Blanchard; he previously collaborated with Prince-Bythewood on the film Love & Basketball (2000) and the television shows Shots Fired and Swagger. South African composer Lebo M. composed and produced five original songs for the film. Editing was completed by Terilyn A. Shropshire, who previously worked with Prince-Bythewood on The Old Guard (2020).
==Release==
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2022. It was released in theaters on September 16, 2022, by Sony Pictures Releasing. Sony handled distribution worldwide except in Canada and the United Kingdom, where distribution was held by Entertainment One.
The film was released for VOD on November 22, 2022, followed by a Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD release by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on December 13, 2022 in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it was released on DVD and Blu-ray, by Entertainment One and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on February 13, 2023.
Netflix in the United States received The Woman King 153 days after its theatrical release on February 16, 2023 as part of a first window deal with Sony Pictures and a second window deal with Disney+.
==Reception==
===Box office===
The Woman King grossed $67.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $29.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $97.2 million.
In the United States and Canada, The Woman King was projected to gross around $12 million in its opening weekend, with some studios estimating it could reach as much as $16 million. The film made $6.8 million on its first day, including $1.7 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to over-perform and debut at $19.05 million from 3,765 theaters, topping the box office. Of the opening weekend audience, 60% were female, 58% were over the age of 35, and 59% were African-American. In its second weekend, the film made $11.1 million (a drop of 42%), finishing behind newcomer Don't Worry Darling. In its third weekend, the film made $6.8 million, finishing third.
===Response===
The Woman King received positive reviews from critics for the cast's performance, including Viola Davis's starring role and Thuso Mbedu's breakout performance, and its action choreography, while some minor disappointment was expressed with the script. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 264 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "All hail Viola Davis! The Woman King rules." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave the film a 95% overall positive score.
Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "A crowd-pleasing epic, think Braveheart with Black women." Robert Daniels at RogerEbert.com said, "When The Woman King works, it's majestic... The magnitude and the awe this movie inspires are what epics like Gladiator and Braveheart are all about." Kate Erbland of IndieWire said, "A hell of a time at the movies, a seemingly 'niche' topic with great appeal, the sort of battle-heavy feature that will likely engender plenty of hoots and hollers." /Films Chris Evangelista said it was "an absolute blast. It's a film that isn't afraid to get you cheering." BBC critic Caryn James wrote, "It is a splashy popcorn movie with a social conscience."
==References==
==External links==
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Category:2022 films
Category:American epic films
Category:American films based on actual events
Category:American historical drama films
Category:English-language films
Category:Entertainment One films
Category:Films about royalty
Category:Films directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Category:Films scored by Terence Blanchard
Category:Films set in Benin
Category:Films shot in South Africa
Category:TriStar Pictures films
Category:2020s English-language films
Category:2022 American films
Category:2022 in film
Category:2:35:1 Aspect Ratio Films