Exclusive: Watch Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu’s ‘The Woman King’ Characters in Their First Big Argument

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If you've ever wanted to see a world where women absolutely run sh*t and the men are basically like, "Okay, that works for us," The Woman King is the movie for you. The film is inspired by true events and follows an all-female warrior tribe in West Africa in 1823 as they defend their kingdom from invaders who are trying to destroy their way of life. The movie is an absolutely thrilling ride, with incredible performances by Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, Thuso Mbedu, John Boyega, and Sheila Atim, and action that will have you white-knuckling your theater armrest.

Viola Davis plays Nanisca, the general of the female warrior group called the Agojie. When Mbedu's character Nawi's father drops her off at the palace after she refuses a marriage proposal, she joins the Agojie, and she's rebellious and headstrong enough to challenge Nanisca.

In an exclusive clip you can watch below, Nawi and Nanisca are having their first big confrontation during Nawi's training.

“Nawi is an orphan–a very determined, stubborn girl, who has always dreamed of a life better than what she's currently living,” Mbedu said in press materials for the movie. “She finds herself in a situation where she's able to become what she has always desired to be, which is an Agojie.”

The dynamic of these two characters is part of what makes the movie so great, and the tough love Davis's character shows to Mbedu's is a running theme of the movie. Whether that works out in their favor or tears them apart is something you'll have to find out for yourself when you watch it. The Woman King hits theaters on Friday, September 16. You can buy tickets here.

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