BEFORE: Here we go, Movie Year 16 is 1/3 over after tonight - and to think I was trying at one point to put "Oppenheimer" on this big century mark, thankfully I went a different way, because that Best Picture winner was an almost total snooze-fest. I would rather have a big, action-packed notable movie for a nice round number like tonight's count. Let's hope this one fits the bill.
Adrienne Warren carries over from "Rustin". I've got one month to get to Mother's Day, I think I have the right mix of films to get me there, but as always, it's gonna be tight.
THE PLOT: A historical epic inspired by true events that took place in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.
AFTER: Last year, my 100th film for the year was also my Easter film, that's just how things shook down, Easter was a bit later on the calendar in 2023. But then I went right into my Doc Block month for the year, since Joanne Whalley was in "Paul, Apostle of Christ" and naturally she carried over into "Val", a doc about her ex-husband, Val Kilmer. This year I've got a ways to go before I hit the documentaries, most likely after Father's Day, assuming I can fill the spaces properly before then. Different year, different vibe.
I avoided this film on Netflix for quite some time, 18 months maybe, and not just because it was darn near impossible to link to - I thought it looked kind of like some "Black Panther" rip-off - a tribe of female warriors that resembles the Dora Milaje loyal to King T'Challa. But now I find out that there's some historical truth here, that there was an African country called Dahomey and they had a notable military unit that the Europeans called the "Dahomey Amazons". And during the age of colonization, Dahomey was a big player in the slave trade, however they didn't sell their own people into slavery, they had raids on other countries and they sent people from their next-door enemy's lands into slavery. Makes sense, I suppose, but how am I supposed to feel sympathy for a country like that?
Easy enough, this movie only shows the reverse, with the enemies of Dahomey conducting raids on their land, and selling THEIR people into slavery. Well, sure, OK, now we're on Dahomey's side, with their skilled militant women and their nice, clean consciences. Plus now we can think of this country as the start of African feminism - and how's that process coming along. They're still doing WHAT to teenage girls? Man, talk about a big step backwards. I'm going to quickly read up on Dahomey's history, but since that country isn't around now, I'm guessing the story didn't end well. Let's see, new economy based on palm oil, brought down the Oyo Empire, ah, here we are, the Franco-Dahomean War. Ah, well, they lost and became a French protectorate in 1894. Didn't become self-governing until 1958, and now it's called Benin.
It's still a constituent monarchy, which means the title of King isn't inherited from father to son, it can be passed from one person to another based on other rules, such as whoever is the head of a certain ethnic group, or maybe just to whomever the last King chooses when he abdicates. So what we see in this film is actually sort of kinda somehow true to life. Still, there's that title, "The Woman King", doesn't seem to make much sense grammatically - if a woman takes over from the king, why doesn't she become the queen? Is "King" now becoming a gender-neutral title, like how we now say "actor" to mean collectively both actors and actresses? Somebody look into this and let me know.
Anyway, this is set back in 1823 or so, so no real strong connection to modern times, so this just isn't Wakanda, it's a different country. And there's King Ghezo on the throne, he's got a bunch of wives to choose from, and really the best career path for women in Dahomey was to be one of the king's wives, but barring that, being one of the Agojie is pretty cool too - you get to learn to sword-fight and do cool judo moves to overpower your enemies, who are mostly men. I'm not going to even get into this as a gender-thing, because it's unusual, also because the women are shown here usually beating or killing the men, and sure, they're the heroes of the film so that's to be expected.
We see these female warriors from the perspective of Nawi, a young woman who joins them when she proves too "difficult" to get married, she harasses the men who her father arranges marriages with, and then suddenly they're not so interested any more. But this wasn't a time when people married for love, they married for land and other business-related things like dowries. I know, I know, but different time, different vibe. Nawi's father brings her to the palace and "gives" her to the King, so it's a choice between wife or warrior, and she goes with warrior.
Her training is difficult, and it ends with an obstacle course race that looks a LOT like the one seen in the "Wonder Woman" movies on Themyscira - and I don't think that's a coincidence.
Nawi is trained by Izogie and watched closely by General Nanisca, who feels some connection to her, but also is bothered by how she doesn't follow the rules and bucks the conventions of the group, in fact she kind of reminds Nanisca of herself at a younger age, and there's probably a reason for that. Years ago Nanisca was captured by their enemy, General Oba, and raped. She got pregnant, and gave up the child to missionaries, say, you don't suppose....
The Agojie attack the Oyo Empire, who of course are led by General Oba - they're successful but three of the female warriors are captured. One escapes and finds her way back to the Agojie, JUST as King Ghezo is about to make Nanisca his ruling equal, the Woman King - but he won't authorize a rescue party just to attack the Oyo and get a few warriors back. But who listens to him, anyway? Nanisca sets out with a group of warriors to get her maybe-daughter back, and also kill the man who raped her years ago, for good measure.
OK, maybe it's a bit by-the-numbers, but there aren't a lot of female-driven African warrior films out there, so it's got uniqueness going for it. I found it all a bit confusing and I think I fell asleep once or twice, but I woke up, had some more Mountain Dew and kept going. Worth the effort, I think. And I think if anything, the female warriors seen in the "Black Panther" comics and movies were based on these warriors from Dahomey to begin with.
Also starring Viola Davis (last seen in "Beautiful Creatures"), Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch (last seen in "The Marvels"), Sheila Atim (last seen in "Pinocchio" (2022)), John Boyega (last seen in "The Circle"), Jordan Bolger (last seen in "Tom & Jerry"), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (last seen in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"), Jimmy OduKoya, Masali Baduza, Jayme Lawson (last seen in "The Batman"), Chioma Antoinette Umeala, Siyamthanda Makakane, Shaina West (last seen in "Black Widow"), Sivuyile Ngesi (last seen in "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"), Riaan Visman, Seputia Sebogodi, Angelique Kidjo, Wanda Banda, Lethabo, Kekole Mathabathe, Daniel Hadebe (last seen in "Dredd"), Kgomotso Moshia, Zozibini Tunzi, Makgosto M, Thando Diomo, Julius Tennon (last seen in "Air"), Pumla Ndlazi, Bonko Khoza, Sne Mbatha, Boitumelo Makgalemele, Kwanda Tim Diamini, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi (last seen in "The Brothers Grimsby"), Joel Mukadi
RATING: 6 out of 10 burning huts
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