08. The Woman King
Explore the material from our latest topic: stereotypical/iconic representations of Black women. Your task is to watch television show (1-2 episodes) or film with an all-black (or majority black) female cast and make note of the portrayal of the cast members/characters. Specifically, consider these questions/bullet points:
What stereotypes/icons (Mammy, Jezebel, Tragic Mulatto, Sapphire, Bad Mother, Crack Mother) are present in the show/film?
Are there any positive representations in the show? If so, describe. Do these positive representations work in any way to "balance" the more negative representations? If so, explain.
What are your thoughts about why Black women are written/portrayed in this way?
I don’t really watch movies; it’s not because I don’t enjoy them. For this prompt, I wanted to seek out a female-centered story, and after a quick Google search, I came across The Woman King. Not every film with a majority female cast is a female-centered story. The 2022 standalone film features big Hollywood names such as Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, and Sheila Atim. Non-franchise historical action films are rare in Hollywood. Even rarer: a Black female standalone historical action film. It did $19 million on its opening weekend, surpassing estimations by a cool $7 million. The story is inspired by true events about the fierce female warriors, the Agojie, of the Kingdom of Dahomey and weaves together themes of motherhood, tradition, trauma, and femininity. To just name a few. I won’t spoil the movie or make you sit through a synopsis, but I do encourage you to watch it. Aesthetically beautiful, poignant, and captivating, I have found one of my new favorite movies.
The female characters in this movie are portrayed as women should be—complex, multidimensional, and multifaceted. General Nanisca, played by Viola Davis, is one of the two main characters.
Madeline’s Weekly Favorites
In no particular order and for no particular reason.
