The Woman King 4K 2022 Ultra HD 2160p

The film is set in the African kingdom of Dahomey at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The film tells the story of a brave woman, Naniska (Viola Davis), who, with the rank of general, commanded a women's army and fought for the independence of her people.

The Woman King 4K Review
1823, Africa. A women's army known as the Agogji, led by General Naniska (Viola Davis), defends the kingdom of Dahomey from the neighboring state of Oyo. The young King Gezo (John Boyega) faces a difficult choice: continue to cooperate with his enemies and support them on the issue of the slave trade, or listen to Naniska, start a war and export not people but palm oil from the country.

The visible presence of female names in filmmaking over the past decade has given birth to new subjects once left on the margins of prevailing ideas and themes. Filmmakers and screenwriters are not only sharing their own experiences on screen, but also combing the dusty pages of history to discover forgotten heroines of the time. These are the Agogji, the Dahomey Amazons, warrior women who chose to serve the kingdom instead of the traditional family life.

The picture's slogan is "inspired by real events. This suggests that what we have before us is not so much a history lesson as an epic drama with a loose plot. The general details of the film go back to the nineteenth century, but most of the characters have no prototypes. Yes, and Dahomey's stance on the slave trade remains controversial. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood downplays the kingdom's bloodthirstiness, when in reality the state enriched itself by selling people until the Europeans banned the slave trade. This fact is important for understanding the historical picture, but generally of little importance for viewing a work of fiction.

The director builds a closed female world: it's 1823, young girls have no rights. But each heroine has her own story of domestic violence in her memory bank. In the heyday of the slave trade and colonization, women (if they are not warriors) are perceived as an inferior caste. To illustrate the tragic fate of millions, the director incorporates into the story the line of a seemingly ordinary girl, Navi (Tuso Mbedu): her father repeatedly tries to marry her off, but the men refuse the defiant and sharp-tongued bride. In the end, Navi crosses the threshold of the palace as a gift to the king - another recruit of Agogji's army. Unsurprisingly, it is young girls and experienced women - people who refuse to bow down to tyrants and put on the shackles of an involuntary marriage - who struggle with injustice of the sort that sells a man.

"The Queen Woman" occasionally follows a formulaic and predictable path. In some ways, it is one where watching action scenes is far more interesting than watching the life struggles of individual characters. At the same time, the picture is filled with familiar tropes: the relationship between the strict mentor and the haughty student, the search for atonement for past sins, and forbidden relationships. But the dramaturgical conflicts look pale against the display of Amazonian talents: watching them is like watching a realistic and feminine version of Black Panther.

Gina Prince-Bythewood's picture is unlikely to go unnoticed by academics. This action flick, starring the always terrific Viola Davis, is a serious Oscar contender. The film features epic battle scenes, impressive acting performances, and documentary chronicles at the heart of the story. The general audience is reacquainted with the fates of forgotten people whose struggles, alas, are not glorified in songs, but whose voices grow louder centuries later.