‘The Woman King’ is a film for the rest of time: Lashana Lynch

New Delhi, Oct 9: British star Lashana Lynch is confident that her latest film ”The Woman King” will stand the test of time as she believes the movie explores enduring themes of equality and leadership. Headlined by Oscar winner Viola Davis, the Gina Prince-Bythewood-directed period actioner follows an all-female warrior unit tasked to protect the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century.
Lynch, who is part of the ensemble cast along with John Boyega, Thuso Mbedu and Sheila Atim, credited Bythewood and screenwriter Dana Stevens for presenting a unique interpretation of a historical story to the modern audience. ”She did a really good job at striking a balance between telling a historical story but also humanising this group of people to let these characters reverberate throughout history.
”I think that this isn’t a film for now, nor is it a film for the past. It’s a film for the rest of time,” the actor told PTI in a virtual roundtable interview.
The story of “The Woman King” follows Davis’ character General Nanisca, the leader of the all-female group of warriors called the Agojie and how she trains the next generation of warriors to fight enemies. Lynch, who made a name for herself with performances in films such as ”Captain Marvel” and ”No Time To Die”, plays the role of Izogie, a veteran member of the Agojie.
The 34-year-old actor said Bythewood did an amazing job in depicting each character as contemporary as possible.
”It is really important to let these characters shine through in a way that doesn’t just fix them into one place in history and in time. We have an amalgamation of themes, feelings, personalities and intricate storylines within the story that enables the audience to relate in a different way,” she added. The most fascinating aspect about the story, Lynch said was the fact that the kingdom of Dahomey and its ruler, King Gizo (Boyega), were ahead of their time. ”It was really cool having King Gizo hire both men and women equally to be soldiers. (PTI)