Warning: Spoilers for “Nimona”
“Nimona” is a movie adaptation of a book written by ND Stevenson and was released on June 14, 2023. The movie follows an underdog commoner named Baalister Boldheart who is knighted to protect the Queen but is suddenly framed for her murder and must hide to escape persecution. A strange shapeshifter named Nimona finds him and offers her allyship in taking down the government.
Before I dive into the details, “Nimona” is a genuinely incredible watch, especially for those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The story presents positive interpretations of both gay people and those with queer gender identities, which is rare to find.
The whole world within “Nimona” is dystopian, but is presented in a very light-hearted way. The kingdom is hidden from the outside world, with large buildings and advanced technology such as flying cars.
Although they have progressed technologically, it was only in the year that Baalister Boldheart attended the Knighting Academy that a commoner earned the position of a knight. Right away, the idea presented is that those who are born with prestige and money are the ones who succeed in the world; only those with a certain heritage could be knighted.
When on a path to make the knighting process all-inclusive, a character called the Director purposefully switched out Baalister’s sword for one that would kill the queen. At the expense of the queen’s life, the Director sways the public mind away from offering status to commoners, while also assuming the position of leader herself.
Similar to eugenics, the Director believes that commoner blood should never mingle with the “elite” blood, as her idea of the “perfect” society would crash down. Baalister then becomes the scapegoat, as we’ve seen with various minorities throughout history.
Even the history behind the founding of the kingdom is one of lies, including a scapegoat as well.
The kingdom celebrates the story of their founder “Gloreth”, a seemingly “strong young woman” who banished a monster and protected the land for thousands of years. In reality, she was a child who betrayed her friend Nimona; Gloreth’s village discovered that Nimona was a shapeshifter and grew fearful of her.
History, even in a fictional movie, is always skewed to portray a “hero” and a “villain”, and usually, this other factor is a minority or someone deemed “unusual”.
Although seemingly geared toward younger audiences, “Nimona” perfectly encapsulates an unjust society that favors prestige over skill and devotion.
Despite including complicated ideas of government and history, “Nimona” is also a story about love in and of itself. Although it does include its romantic parts with Baalister and his partner, the story also showcases the importance of humanity’s love for itself.
Nobody in the story–before Baalister–showed Nimona any compassion or understanding.
Despite being portrayed as a horrible monster for hundreds of years, it took one patient person to empathize with her, eventually showing her that she also deserves love.
Our world has little compassion today, especially with the desensitization to world events due to over-exposure and watered-down information. It becomes important to show younger audiences that even in horrible situations like the ones presented in “Nimona”, someone out there is willing to understand them no matter how flawed they may feel they are.
“Nimona” presents the faults of society and government in a digestible way, but also beautifully highlights the good of humanity.