Review of The Birth of a Nation (2016) by Trevorsview — 09 Dec 2016

With every news report of an African American getting shot to death by a police officer, with every Facebook post sharing an article surrounding “Black Lives Matter,” with every spark of controversy over the lack of Oscar nominees of color, we gradually get closer and closer to living back in the times of slavery. Hence it is in appropriate timing for this account of revolutionary Black priest Nat Turner to make the light of day, under the title of the most famous anti-Black propaganda film in history, The Birth of a Nation.

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What amazes me is how this early addition to the 2016/2017 Oscar race stands at a 4.9 rating on IMDb, and yet a 78% on RottenTomatoes. Does it show how grand it is as a biopic, or how harmful it is to America’s pride? Well one thing’s for sure, it’s appropriately violent for its R-rating and chocked full of effectively gruesome imagery that makes every whipping and beating painful to watch. It even goes as far as showing hopeless slaves getting auctioned off to White buyers as if they were property. These are the types of things that just make you want to go “grr…” out of self-loathing.

Those little moments make the experience worth it, but what doesn’t make it worth it, and what supposedly causes the most scathing responses towards Producer/Director/Writer/Lead Actor Nate Parker to surface, is its loyalty to history.

The Birth of a Nation claims to be based on a true story, but this article by The Nation proves how the story is anything but true. Rather than feeling hopeful and redemptive, it instead becomes a beat-by-beat rip-off of Braveheart that justifies revenge as a path to God’s Promised Land.

There’s also little impact from the personal side of the story. Nat Turner’s wife in this movie, Cherry, played with an appropriate level of trauma by Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away with Murder), is treated more like a plot device than an actual human being, as her marriage to Nat is skimmed over in as little as thirty seconds. It’s not made any easier to take seriously when she makes appearances to her husband in visions that belong in a corny 1970’s music video.

Yet I wouldn’t say the bad parts outweigh the good. If you just forget the fact that this is not true to history, then it becomes a fairly inspiring account that empowers people of color. It’s done in a pretty typical fashion done better by 12 Years a Slave, but the love of ancestry, Holy Scripture, fulfillment of Matthew 20:16, and redemption are all there untainted.

On the plus side, the performances are quite stellar in and of themselves. I already praised Miss King, but Armie Hammer’s part as Turner’s slave owner gives an effectively believable performance that works perfectly off of Mark Boone Junior’s portrayal of the ruthless town reverend. Be sure to keep a keen eye out for them when the awards shows come around.

Much like any other revenge-story biopic you have seen, this one leads up to the Black priest rounding up all the slaves so that he can ignite a rebellion onto the Whites. Here is probably where most of the mixed responses have come from. One could argue that it is an uplifting display of Blacks finally getting the recognition they long deserved. Another could argue that it offensively paints Whites as the villains who caused all our world’s problems. I can’t answer this debate for sure, but showing more of these wars between races without any hope of harmony is doing more damage than benefit to our socially correct times.

So now, here is what I’m thinking: I won’t tell you whether or not you should see this movie. It’s all up to you whether The Birth of a Nation is a celebration or a disgrace. While it is a slap in the face to historical accuracy, it also celebrates Blackness through a finely acted ensemble. It may be offensive to Whites, but it also offers important biblical morals in fighting for a well-deserved freedom that will last onto eternity. Maybe time will tell whether if this helps restore peace or pushes it further into oblivion, but either way, The Birth of a Nation is what it is.