Memorable, historic, violent tale of African women warriors.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Lots of fight/battle scenes with a high body count. Battles are intense (bloody wounds, stabbings, slit throats, shots of dead bodies, etc.) and full of moments when it seems like a character is going to die. A couple of deaths (both real and presumed) are particularly emotional. Weapons used in full-scale battle scenes include spears, curved knives, ropes, and muskets -- and a particularly bloody use of sharpened fingernails. Domestic/sexual violence includes an older suitor punching a young woman he's expressing marital interest in, and flashbacks to a woman remembering being repeatedly raped.
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The Agojie are expected to be virgins. A man shows an interest in a young Agojie in training, who catches him naked when he's bathing in a river. His partially nude body (bare behind, back, chest, abs) is visible. They eventually speak, exchange longing looks, and in subsequent scenes are shown embracing and later in what's an implied post-sex scene. The king gives affectionate attention to a few different wives.
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Positive representation of an African kingdom that had an all-women king's guard. (The Agojie are little known in mainstream media.) Women have agency and are shown to be strong, smart, capable, and brave. The movie's only White characters are involved in the transatlantic slave trade; the movie also depicts Africans who sold other Africans to slave traders. A biracial Brazilian character identifies as Black once he's back in Dahomey and helps Nawi and sides with the Agojie. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, a Black woman.
The leaders of the Agojie -- Nanisca, Amenza, and Izogie -- are firm and demanding but also encouraging and willing to teach young women from other tribes and villages. Nawi is brave, curious, and strong-willed, although also occasionally reckless and defiant. All of the women are strong, smart, capable, and brave.
Positive Messages
some
Promotes courage, perseverance, and teamwork, making it clear that these highly trained women warriors are every bit as capable, imposing, and successful as men. Values the abilities of women (particularly women over 30) and people of color. Stresses historical importance of abolitionist attitudes and the negative impact of colonization and the slave trade.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Woman King is an empowering historical adventure drama that follows Nanisca, the general (Viola Davis) of a 19th century West African all-female royal guard called the Agojie. The Agojie of the Kingdom of Dahomey (what's now Benin) -- the inspiration for the Dora Milaje in Black Panther -- fought off hostile tribes from bordering nations. Expect a high body count, with lots of fighting and intense, often bloody warfare. The Agojie use ropes, spears, finely sharpened fingernails, and other weapons in scenes that show dead bodies. A few of the deaths are particularly upsetting. There are also flashbacks to sexual assault and one moment when a suitor strikes a young woman he's courting. Language isn't frequent but includes "bitches" in subtitles. Adults drink, a man's partially nude body (bare behind, back, chest, abs) is visible, and there are scenes that show embracing and imply that characters had sex. The film is a labor of love from critically acclaimed filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball and The Old Guard). Families will want to research the history of the "Dahomey Amazons" to compare what's been written about the elite army with the film's plot. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Heroic Blockbuster violence ( glosses over details about Slavery)
This is not a superhero movie, like part two of "Black Panther”. It’s a historical drama with real women who are as heroic as superheroes. The movie is based on the true story of the Agojie, a tribe of all female warriors who protect the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. (Dahomey is in West Africa, now the country of Benin). Viola Davis is amazing in “The Woman King”, which is a blockbuster action movie like Braveheart or Gladiator.
The women warriors of this West African kingdom were formidable, and the costumes are historically accurrate. And the movie accurately shows that this West African Country ( Dahomey) rose to dominance on the strength of its disciplined female army and strategic leadership—but also through the slave trade. They also produced palm oil which helped the country finance an imposing military presence.
Historical accounts of these women warriors suggest they may have first been elephant hunters under the third king of Dahomey, from around 1645 to 1685, “hunting all kinds of game, including elephants, the most valuable and difficult of animals to kill.” The female warriors were renowned for ferocity with rifles, bows and swords. European slave traders recount that “ they were fearsome, excellent marksmen,…..skilled with hand-to-hand fighting, using weapons that were a lot like machetes.”
This is an historical drama, filmed in the rich outback of South Africa with high quality production and violent warfare scenes. it’s in the genre of action movies but doesn’t feel quite as authentic or powerful as “Gladiator” or Braveheart. ( more like the Patriot). But it has one important difference- Viola Davis and a case of mostly of Black actors.
The key elements of the film are historically accurate, but ignores the fact that this country’s involvement in the slave trade was evil. The country of Dahomey was a key player in the trafficking of West Africans between the 1680s and early 1700s, and this fueled the country’s economic success.
The film barely addresses the moral complexity of this issue, and skips many historical details to make the story simple enough for a Blockbuster movie. So it’s full of melodrama, cliches and a subplot about forbidden love that weaken it’s power. Contrived dialogue distracts from the real questions that this story should raise.
The movie shows “the golden age of Dahomean history”, and it is heroic that they eventually had a black woman king. But the movie grossly understates the role of slavery in her success. The slave trade fueled the economy of this country until 1852, and only ended after pressure by the British government (which had abolished slavery in its own colonies decades earlier).
So viewers should not forget that the Woman King ruled over a slave-owning, totalitarian country where brutality was commonplace.
This was an extremly epic movie to see in theaters when I saw it, but let me first say this: It is extremly violent and intense for a PG-13 film. The violence in here is explicit sometimes to the point where there will be some blood in the deaths. The killings are included plenty of throat slittings, stabbing, and even some head decaption. The gore in here is seen but too a limit. But the deaths/violence are intense/hard to watch even for me. It contained plenty of strong violence parents alike should watch out for. There is some mild swearing in this movie; nothing over the top that teense can't handle, and the movie shows plenty of strong diverse role models/messages. It shows the power of teamwork and the power of sometimes you have to disobey rules for a solid reason. This movie has a strong plotline/acting, and I highly suggest families alike with older teens to see this in theaters or even rent it when it is available. There is a suggestive moment that is brief of a man naked -- everything is seen except his butt and his private. Much is to be raved of this movie, but it is an intense brutal/violent film to watch! It contains though strong epithets of role models and positive strong messages!
What's the Story?
Writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood's drama THE WOMAN KING was inspired by the real-life Agojie, an elite, all-women royal guard of the Kingdom of Dahomey (West Africa) in the 19th century. The film's story follows the group's influential general, Nanisca (Viola Davis), whose warriors must fight off the neighboring tribe that's trying to conquer them and sell more and more people into enslavement. The Agojie, who live on the royal grounds, dedicate themselves to their sisterhood and to King Ghezo (John Boyega), forsaking the possibility of marriage or children. The film explores how Nanisca; her second-in-command, Amenza (Sheila Atim); protege Igozie (Lashana Lynch); and the rest of the guard train recruits -- young women who are either brought from neighboring villages in conflict with Dahomey or presented to the king by their fathers. One promising upstart is the strong-willed Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), who questions authority. Nanisca's mission to protect Dahomey grows urgent as the twin threats of the rival tribe and White enslavers imperil the kingdom's future.
This powerful, poignant film with an excellent cast led by Davis celebrates Black sisterhood and strength. If you had any doubt that women over 55 can be fierce warriors, seeing Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once and now Davis in The Woman King should disabuse you of that uncertainty. Davis is flat-out phenomenal as General Nanisca, bringing her characteristic gravitas and charisma to the role. The other warriors are also wonderful, particularly Atim, an award-winning British actor who should be cast in a leading role as soon as possible, and Lynch, best known for her Captain Marvel role, who's imposing but also funny and generous. Both give scene-stealing performances and more than hold their own with Davis. South African newcomer Mbedu is compelling and well cast as the ambitious young recruit ready to prove her worth.
The movie's action scenes are tautly shot by cinematographer Polly Morgan, who makes the most of the weaponry and landscape. Gersha Phillips' costume design is gorgeous, and Terence Blanchard's propulsive score -- a collaboration with South African producer, composer, and singer Lebo M -- deftly uses African percussion and themes. Although there's a slightly unnecessary romance, the movie's plot manages to balance action sequences with moments of character development, friendship, and historical reflection. Prince-Bythewood has been a critically acclaimed filmmaker for many years, and it's thrilling that she's continuing to demonstrate her skill at eliciting great performances from character-driven dramas.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in The Woman King. Do you think it's necessary to the story?
Does the movie make you interested in the historical background of the Kingdom of Dahomey?
Talk about the similarities between the Dora Milaje and the Agojie. Is it clear that the Black Panther squad was inspired by the Dahomey king's guard?
How is the slave trade depicted in the movie? What did you learn from watching?
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Sandie Angulo Chen
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
