Wine & Watch No. 2 (for real this time)
Rosé & The Woman King
Hey friends! We are finally back with another Wine & Watch! Unfortunately, there isn’t a voiceover for this week’s newsletter. But I promise, we’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming for the next one! So let’s jump into it.
This week’s featured wine is the Gerard Bertrand Coté de Roses, Rosé! And the featured film I’m pairing it with is The Woman King. Which is currently streaming on Netflix.
The Sip: In the spirit of transparency, I only had a few glasses of this rosé while watching The Woman King. And that’s because my roommate and I, ended up drinking most of it during a Galentine’s Day/Rihanna’s Super Bowl watch party back in February. And what I love the most about it, is the bottle’s design! The bottom is shaped into what looks like a fully bloomed-rose. And it’s stunning. Now onto the actual sip. Possible unpopular opinion, rosé is maybe my least favorite wine to drink. But this wasn’t so bad. Just isn’t a favorite so far.
The Film: With You People, I shared my overall thoughts on why I didn’t like it. However, with The Woman King, I’ll mostly be fangirling over some of my favorite characters and the actresses that played them.
I went into this with one simple thought. Viola Davis & Lashana Lynch are in it, so whatever happens in this movie, I’m gonna love it. And I’m happy to say, this movie didn’t disappoint.
The film is set in West Africa in the year 1823. The Kingdom of Dahomey is ruled by King Ghezo (played by John Boyega) the ninth monarch of the Dahomey people, descendants of the leopard Agasu, and beloved of the twin gods, Mawu and her brother Lisa. And we’re told right from the beginning that the kingdom prospers and profits from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. (yikes!)
The movie starts off by showing the strength and majesty of the Agojie, Dahomey’s elite force of female soldiers led by General (Miganon) Naninsca (played by Viola Davis). And it was the perfect way to jump right into the story. We watch as the Agojie move succinctly through the grass and attack the camp of soldiers from the Oyo empire who’d been raiding Dahomey villages. Killing and kidnapping Dahomey people with the intention of selling them to European slavers. Everything about this scene screams not only power but elegance and brutality. Naninsca, Izogie (played by Lashana Lynch), & Amenza (played by Sheila Atim) are at the forefront. And they all look as vicious and powerful as a group of assassins or black ops squad. And they bring the captives, as well as captives of their own back home. And the story continues.
General thoughts about the movie:
The choreography for the fight scenes is stunning throughout the film. Watching them fight was like watching the most beautiful ballet/parkour show.
The actual battle dances, calls to action, and celebratory dances were also done really well. At some point, I ended up calling back with their chants and twirled my hips in tandem.
And although he was the king, I loved that Ghezo wasn’t necessarily a focal character. It was obvious that he was considered a main character. But he played more of a side role in my opinion.
The somewhat love interest of Nawi, Malik is a half Portuguese half Dahomey man who returns to Dahomey with his colonizer friend, Santo Ferreira, was actually quite interesting. I didn’t necessarily want them to end up together. But I enjoyed their interactions
Viola’s accent. THE WORST! Love you aunty but it just wasn’t it.
Port of Ouidah: Belongs to the Dahomey Kingdom run by the Oyo Empire
Seeing our people in chains like actually seeing it brought me nothing but rage. I wanted to burn the port down to the ground.
Here is where I commence fangirling over the Agojie!
First up, Naninsca: Miganon and all-around badass. She is the leader of the Agojie and the right hand to King Ghezo. It was not hard to immediately attach myself to her. Naninsca also has more business acumen than any of King Ghezo’s advisors. She proposed the discontinuation of selling their people to slavers. And instead trade natural resources such as Palm oil, grown and manufactured within the kingdom. She is strong, savvy, and maternal in a not so soft way. But she isn’t perfect by any means. Naninsca has her own demons. One of them being the General for the rival Oyo empire, Oba Ade. A man who raped her while she was kidnapped. Her anger towards him and what he did to her clouds her judgement a few times at the beginning of the story. But watching her work through those feelings, visceral anger, despair, and anguish, and channel it into her physical strength was glorious. And by the end of the movie, she is rightfully crowned Kpojito, The Woman King!
[The first battle between Oyo and Agojie was more of a battle between Naninsca and her rapist Ode. In the scene we see Nan’s strength but also her fear. Nawi stays behind in an attempt to help her. They end up fleeing successfully.]
Next, we have Nawi (played by Thuso Mbedu) an orphan who was unwilling to marry an older man who was set to abuse her, Nawi’s adopted father brings her to the king’s palace to be used as the King deems fit. And because of his wickedness, she gets to train and become the one thing she’s revered, an Agojie. There’s a certain fierceness about her that I immediately loved. But she’s also an arrogant brat at times that is rightfully brought down a peg or two throughout the story. And (spoiler alert) when we discover that she’s Naninsca’s daughter, certain similar attributes both characters share makes a whole lot of sense. Plus they definitely butt heads like mother and daughter lol Now I have to admit that her initial response to the news befuddled me a bit. She was angry, yes. But it seemed that she also blamed Naninsca. For what exactly? Later down the line we discover her anger was geared more towards the way her existence came about. That she felt shame for being a product of rape, and therefore disappointment to her mother. By the end though, we see the both of them come together in the most beautiful way. Also, keep an eye out for Thuso! Her performance was spectacular in this movie. And I look forward to seeing her grace the big screen again.
[The final test for Agojie: Start with endurance, primarily in regard to pain. They have to climb through a thorn field. Endure the pain that it will inevitably cause. Im guessing that is so they’re not deterred when in a real battle, by cuts and such. Nawi makes it through with Ode by her side. But runs back in to help Fumbe. The next part of the test is strength and speed. You have to climb up a large wall and get down in a fast enough time. Next its a battle with members of the male King’s guard. And finally to decapitate the head of a structure with your weapon. Nawi passes first. And is given a special sword.]
Now I get to chat about the true star of the movie, Izogie: From the start, Izogie is a mentor to Nawi and takes her under her wing. Izogie is all of the things that embodies being an Agojie. She’s strong, fierce, witty, loyal, and above all else brave. And she served not only as a mentor to Nawi, but also a friend. She also happened to be the source of a lot of comedic relief in what is mostly a serious movie. There’s a scene where Igozie is braiding Nawi’s hair after she officially becomes an Agojie, and it is so heartwarming. In these small instances, I’m reminded as a black woman, how sacred it is when someone who cares about you, tends to your hair.
“You are powerful. More than you even know. Do not give your power away."
Lashana Lynch is so talented. In the past few years, I’ve seen just how great her range is an actor. And my heart connected with her as Izogie. In fact, it is my favorite character she’s played so far.
Last but not least we have Amenza, the more spiritual of the unofficial Agojie leaders. She communes with the gods and is an adviser to Naninsca. Like the right hand of the right hand. And is also Naninsca’s oldest friend. She of the three leaders has a slight softer approach. But don’t let that fool you. She is a murderess on the battlefield.
All in all, each one of these characters brought added layers to the movie and brought the story to light. It is absolutely going into my personal hall of fame. And I hope you enjoy or enjoyed it as much as I did.
And so I leave you with this powerful quote from Naninsca:
“We are the spear of victory. We are the blade of freedom. We are Dahomey!”
Agojie! Wu Suu
