Even thought Women’s History Month is over, let’s celebrate women every month. In honor of that I’d like to highlight and review a film that featured some badass women.

“The Woman King” is a historical epic that explores The Kingdom of Dahomey, which was a powerful state in Africa throughout the 18th and 19th century. This film specifically explores the women soldiers who fought in the King’s guard.

The soldiers, named the “Agojie,” are lead by the “Miganon” or General Nanisca (Viola Davis), and ward off any potential threats to Dahomey. Alongside Nanisca is Amenza (Sheila Atim) — Nanisca’s confidant and the kingdom’s healer, Izogie (Lashana Lynch) — a seriously skilled fighter, and Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) who is a fresh-faced Agojie.

The core tension throughout the film stems from the women’s fight to protect their nation from the Oyo — a rival empire that works with Portuguese slave traders by kidnapping victims and selling them at auctions.

The film originally released in theaters in September 2022 and was added to Netflix this past February. Despite its run-time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, the film does a fantastic job at storytelling and pacing. From first meeting the Agojie during a fierce, and somewhat frightening, battle with another tribe to learning about the soldiers’ backstory and what inspired them to serve in the King’s guard, the film fantastically combines the personal with the physical. 

One aspect of this film that I couldn’t get enough of was the costumes. As I’ve mentioned in past reviews for other series and movies, costume design can further improve the viewer’s ability to be immersed in the media they’re consuming, and “The Woman King” is no exception. The costume designer, Gersha Phillips, did an amazing job styling the Agogie. Their attire was incredibly stunning and looked extremely comfortable, too, might I add.

King Ghezo (John Boyega), Dahomey’s ruler, and his several wives are seen wearing lush fabrics in all shades of the color spectrum. One of his most outspoken wives Shante (Jayme Lawson) has, by-far, the most beautiful gowns and hair adornments I’ve seen in any historical epic.

But back to the Agojie. One of the most amazing performances — aside from Viola Davis, which was expected — came from Lashana Lynch. Lynch is best known for her recent appearance as Ms. Honey in Netflix’s adaptation of “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical,“ where she acted alongside Emma Thompson.

The duality of Lynch’s ability to perform as both Ms. Honey and Izogie was astonishing. Her character, Izogie, was surprisingly comedic, vulnerable and fierce — all of which made for an impactful viewing experience. And (spoiler alert), when her character died, I felt every bit of pain that she did.

Now, with all of the praise that I am giving this film I wonder why the Academy didn’t award it the same. I mean, it didn’t receive a single nomination for a craft despite earning 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and glowing reviews from other publications like The New York Times.

The film’s director Gina Prince-Bythewood commented on the lack of recognition the film received during award season to The Hollywood Reporter.

“It’s not a snub. It’s a reflection of where the Academy stands and the consistent chasm between Black excellence and recognition,” Bythewood said. “And, sadly, this is not just an issue in Hollywood but in every industry.”

I wholeheartedly agree with and echo Bythewood’s statement, and I encourage everyone to view this film. The performances of actresses such as Lynch should be acknowledged, and if the academy didn’t want to recognize them, then we can.