A Movie Like No Other!

Written By Sizwe Shabalala

The Woman King is unlike anything we’ve seen on the big screen before. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood’s, starring an ensemble of heroic black women, The Woman King tells the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen.

*Image Credit: https://www.thewomanking.movie*

The film’s cast is made up of Oscar winner, Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega and South Africa’s very own, Thuso Mbedu. There was a lot of conversation and hype surrounding the film leading up to its official release and now that it’s finally in cinemas, it has enjoyed loud praise from all over the world — even though there was some initial skepticism from various critics.

“Outside of politics, it’s just a really great movie. It’s a story that’s never been done before and so, I guess it’s a surprise because it’s never been done before. People are always skeptical of being the first. We have a really good story with an amazing cast, shot in great locations in South Africa — it looks beautiful and it is beautiful and that is why it’s doing as well as it is. People feel seen in this movie,” says Thuso Mbedu, who plays Nawi, one of the heroic women of the film.

Thuso Mbedu’s performance is arguably her most riveting performance to date. Coming from an incredibly emotional and heavy role in Berry Jenkins’ “Underground Railroad”, Thuso delivers an explosive performance grounded by heart and understated vulnerability. Thuso says, for this role, a lot of physical training went into it.

“The physical training went hand-in-hand with just creating the actual character itself. Unlike the characters of my co-stars in the film, my character is a new recruit who was starting from zero, which was the same for me in real life. Coming into this film, I had no prior training in terms of stunt-work and fighting but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do — just like how my character has always wanted to be a part of the army but the reality of where she’s going is hard, unlike anything she’s ever conceived. I had to find ways to break out of various levels of doubt I had within myself about myself."

From a mental preparation standpoint, Thuso says the journey was more than just trying to make a film about fighting and killing. One of the things actors look forward to the most as performers is the opportunity to build their character, build their story. For Thuso, she really connected with the director from the very beginning as this was a deeply personal story for her, with Thuso’s character in particular.

“For me, it was about being respectful while also serving the character a thousand percent. This project was not just about making a film about fighting and killing, black African women have already been labelled as violent beasts in the media and so for us, it was important to convey the humanity in them. It was never a space where we take away their struggle, their passions and desires. These characters are human too and that’s what makes the film grounded.”

There have been some Black Panther comparisons floating around but, if you watch the film, you quickly learn that the only comparisons are based on the fact that The Woman King also draws inspiration from the Agojie people, similar to Dora Milaje and Black Panther.

One of the more personal things that playing the character of Nawi revealed to Thuso was that of her own childhood and identity. Hearing her cast-mates speak about their experiences as darker skinned black women revealed to her that she hadn’t fully realized just how much her life had been spent apologizing for just existing.

“It’s a subconscious thing that’s engrained in us. The system tries to not make us realize that we’re constantly being put in certain boxes. With my character, Nawi, who has my skin tone and looks like me, it feels like I’ve been empowered to take up space and to fully be who I am.”

The film was shot in various locations in South Africa and one of those locations was not too far from where Thuso grew up in Kwa-Zulu Natal. She admits that, having spent so many years in South Africa, there are things she takes for granted and working on this film reminded me her of that because many of her fellow cast members had never experienced this country prior to filming.

“Viola Davis always speaks about how it couldn’t have happened anywhere else because you can’t fabricate or recreate that on a soundstage somewhere in America. There are certain things that you just have to live in order to experience fully. The energy that we brought on set as South Africans is what you see on screen.”

The Woman King is an epic story amplified by stunning choreography, a mesmerizing score and dazzling costume design. A truly empowering and special achievement for Gina Prince-Bythewood and her cast and crew

The Woman King is now showing at various cinemas nationwide.