Is ‘The Girl King’ Based mostly on a True Story? Right here’s What We Know

Is the film primarily based on a real story?

Sure and no. The essential framework of the story is impressed by true occasions, however it’s closely fictionalized and dramatized. The Agojie was an all-female warrior group that did exist they usually did defend the dominion of Dahomey (modern-day Benin) in West Africa. That half is actual, and apparently at one level the military had 6,000 members. The Dahomey society did have an extremely progressive view of ladies, and the thought of the Girl King did exist again then. So all that checks out/is unimaginable.

The characters are principally works of fiction, although. Davis’s character Nanisca particularly was created for the film, as was Mbedu’s. In press notes for the movie, author Dana Stevens defined that as a result of the historical past of this nation was typically written by white European folks, the fictionalization of characters allow them to get away from the biases that may have been current within the accounts of the Agojie.

In keeping with Smithsonian Magazine, the coaching for the ladies was possibly simply as grueling as we see within the film, they usually lived within the palace as “wives” of the king, taking no different husbands and having no kids. The Oyo empire additionally did exist, and Dahomey was a tributary of that kingdom, form of like we see within the film.

John Boyega’s King Ghezo is the one character primarily based on an actual individual. King Ghezo did rule Dahomey throughout that point, and he was closely concerned within the slave commerce. Extra on that under.

The film has brought about some controversy.

Because the film depicts, the actual Dahomey kingdom was caught up within the slave commerce. [Spoilers ahead for the end of the film.] In the direction of the top of the film, the king decides that promoting his personal folks is towards his beliefs (at Nanisca’s urging), and so their involvement within the slave commerce ends. In actual life, that did not go down like that.

The movie’s critics have questioned whether or not the movie does sufficient to level out the Dahomey’s involvement in that commerce, or whether or not the ending of the film sugar coats a state of affairs that wasn’t sugar-coatable in actual life.

Gina Prince-Bythewood, the director of the film, responded to the critique this way in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “We’re going to inform the reality. We’re not going to shrink back from something. But additionally we’re telling part of the story which is about overcoming and combating for what’s proper.”

So whereas the film, which premiered on the Toronto Worldwide Movie Pageant, is impressed by actual occasions, it is most likely greatest to take it with a grain of salt and keep in mind that it is not completely traditionally correct. Whether or not you suppose that works for the film is as much as you.