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Contrary to assumptions that the negative reviews are solely racially motivated, much of the backlash stems from within the Black community itself. Critics and activists are raising concerns over the film’s portrayal of the Dahomey Kingdom, an African state historically involved in slave trading and warfare. Many feel that the movie glosses over or romanticizes difficult and complex historical realities, including the involvement of the Dahomey tribe in enslaving and selling Africans into the transatlantic slave trade.