Review of The Birth of a Nation (2016) by Late R — 22 Sep 2018

There's some powerful imagery at work here that shows the suffering and plight of Black slaves, and whilst a lot of it is undeniably affecting, it often seems like the film is trying too hard to make sure the audience is feeling what it should.

It feels very theatrical and a bit over-the-top - sometimes you have to let the story, characters and their actions speak for themselves; trust the audience to understand what's going on and let them feel what they feel without shoving it down their throats.

So yes, the rest of the film suffers because of that focus leaving it with a lack of layers and depth (both for the story and the characters) that it needed to feel like a well-rounded film. As a consequence, it doesn't quite manage to do the brave, inspiring man it's based on, as well as those who followed him, justice.

Still, for a debut feature-length film, it really is a pretty decent effort with an undeniably stirring ending.