Natasha Bowen picks 4 movies to pair with ‘Call of the Dragon’
In Pairings, artists and creators pick the movies that complement their latest work.
Natasha Bowen is a writer and teacher whose new novel Call of the Dragon is out now wherever you get your books!
We asked Natasha to pick a few movies that pair well with Call of the Dragon.
The Whale Rider
This film mirrors Call of the Dragon in its themes of belonging, identity, and love, as a young Māori girl fights to fulfil a destiny her grandfather is determined not to recognise. Pai is on a quest for equality to become the next leader of her people, and her story mirrors Moremi’s in their shared conflict with established authority. Moremi must navigate the Kingdom of Kwa’s expectations of her, alongside the fallout of political and religious betrayal. Pai battles the patriarchal norms of her culture to be recognised as a leader. Both girls challenge tradition while seeking to protect their people. They grow stronger through hardship and find courage in the face of adversity.
Raya and the Last Dragon
This is an obvious pairing, but I loved this film when I watched it with my youngest son. Both are epic in scale, featuring dragons who are elemental, ancient protectors, bonded to strong girls. There was something about Raya working with Sisu, the last dragon, to save her kingdom that had me hooked until the emotional end. In Call of the Dragon, the narrative is also a fast-paced quest that sweeps you along. The stories share a central betrayal that fractures the world, but while Raya leans towards a younger audience, Call of the Dragon is darker, more mythic, and rooted in African cosmology, with dragon gods whose fall reshapes civilisation itself.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
I had to include this one because the intense love triangle reminds me of Call of the Dragon. First, let me say: I wasn’t Team Jacob or Team Edward… I thought they were both under Bella’s spell (sometimes stupidly so!). But the dynamic reminds me of the one between Moremi, the main character in Call of the Dragon, and the two boys in her orbit: Nox, her childhood friend whom she’s long pined for, and Jagun, the ọba’s son. I won’t say who my favourite was, but it wasn’t the same as my editor’s! At times, you want her to be with both of them. The “will they, won’t they” tension in both stories is intoxicating. In Call of the Dragon, Moremi is pushed toward a more decisive choice, which means there’s plenty left over to explore in book two.
Children of Blood and Bone
I’m cheating a little with this one, as Children of Blood and Bone isn’t out until 2027, but it will undoubtedly be a box-office-breaking film! Both stories are West African-inspired fantasies with high stakes, where spirituality, religion, and magic are deeply entwined. The tales begin in the aftermath of a catastrophic rupture of magic and divinity, where the female heroines, Moremi and Zélie, become embodiments of restoration. But where Zélie restores what was taken, Moremi navigates the space between the gods and humanity, confronting divine fallibility.