The Woman King

- (Speaks local language) - (Chatter stops)

- (Bird calling) - (Chatter stops)

Agojie! Agoj...

- (Squishing thud) - (Screams)

Soldier: Agojie!

- (Soldier groans) - No!

Where are the prisoners?

Where are our people?

We are farmers. We took no one!

Miganon.

You will be home soon.

Horses.

That can only mean oyo soldiers.

Who is she?

My mother.

We will take you back to your village.

- Perhaps your father... - They sold him.

And my brothers.

They sold them all.

Miganon.

The prisoners are ready to march.

Bring me stronger warriors.

- (Birds chirping) - (Livestock bleating)

Thank you.

It doesn't Matt... nawi!

- Yeah? - Tell your mother

to see me for the dress.

What dress?

Your wedding dress.

I will make you beautiful.

Tell her.

They have made you another match?

I don't know what she's talking about.

They are coming.

- (Excited chatter) - Let's go.

- (Excited chatter continues) - Man: Come here!

- Man 2: Daughter! Come! - Woman: My daughter!

Man 3: My sister!

Woman 2: My sister!

Boy: Mother!

Man 3: I'm so happy to see you.

- But I want to see. - Shh!

The king does not allow us to look upon the agojie.

Nanisca.

It is a victory.

They are here for you.

They do not know an evil is coming.

They know you will protect them.

I wish to speak to the king.

He's only seeing wives today.

Tell him. I will wait.

Nawi: The agojie drink from the skulls

of the men they have killed. - No.

Nawi: They cut off their heads

and melt off their skin in boiling hot cauldrons.

- Sister! Sister! - Nawi.

- Hmm? - We have a visitor.

It's a rich man from cana.

Come.

Come.

Maybe he is handsome.

I own three fields of palm trees.

You will work.

You do not talk to your husband?

In my house, you will learn to obey.

Moru: Nawi!

Forgive my daughter.

The whispers were right.

This...

Girl is worthless.

Master abade.

Come!

I wish to give my daughter to the king.

No husband will have her.

I will not marry an old man who beats me.

Moru: Go to war, then.

You will understand what pain is.

Enter.

In the palace, you do not have to look away.

Come.

Izogie: Close your mouth.

You look like a fish.

What's in there?

Indigo dye.

Oh.

What did you think it was?

- Heads. - (Chuckles)

No.

Those are the heads.

Some of the men who raided our village.

The rest will be sold in ouidah.

No men but the eunuchs are allowed

in the palace after dark.

Beyond this wall, this is a palace of women.

Come.

Hey.

Go and bathe yourselves.

Oyo, can you see this?

Your comrades murdered...

By women.

- (Murmuring) - (Horse snorting)

The dahomey grow too bold under their new king.

Ghezo: My loves.

My loves.

My love.

My love.

Nanisca, come with me.

Why does he always favor her?

She comes here filthy, shows no respect.

She fought for him during the coup.

Put him on the throne.

What did you do?

Locked yourself in a cupboard.

The oyo have entered our land.

They have broken the peace.

When they come for the tribute,

we will not pay it.

- But that would mean war. - Migan, we have been

under the foot of the oyo since my father's time.

Are you not tired? Eh?

Oh, because we... We fear their might.

Because of fear.

My king, they are a nation twice our size,

with horses and more muskets.

We need time to plan and prepare our armies.

The agojie are ready.

How many did you lose in this last battle

against the lowly mahi?

My king, I hear whispers of a new general.

This last attack was sword rattling.

Nothing more.

I agree.

Dahomey has prospered in the peace.

And the oyo, too.

The slave trade is the reason we prosper.

But at what price?

It is a poison slowly killing us,

and the Europeans know this.

They come to our land for their human cargo.

They've come to trade.

We sell them what they want.

But why do we sell our captives?

For weapons?

To capture more people to sell for more weapons?

It is a dark circle with no end.

This is not the way.

The spirits have spoken.

Ifá seeks light.

So, what do you suggest, nanisca?

We have other things to sell.

Gold. Palm oil.

We can double our harvest.

She wants to make us a nation of peasants.

I want dahomey to survive.

The gods have brought us a new king.

A king to be feared.

No one fears a farmer.

We have already started to gather the tribute.

Perhaps we pay, to buy us time.

I promise...

This will be our last.

As for the palm oil, nanisca, show me.

Show me how much you can produce, and we will see.

You speak in secret to the king.

You seek to cut me out.