Review of The Birth of a Nation (2016) by Thegodfatherson — 06 Oct 2016

Nate Parker has talent, scope, and vision. There could not have been a better director to helm this sensitive, brutal and brooding drama about Nat Turner's rebellion. In the wake of many films on African American struggles, including 12 Years A Slave, Birth Of A Nation has a hard time standing out of the crowd and reeling in the Oscar Bait.

The content portrayed is disturbing, and most of the film is dark and slow burn. However, Nate Parker does a good job as Nat Turner, and the rest of the cast were very good as well. The film is extremely overdone in the terms of length, the scenes where Turner is being tortured are hard to watch and drag long enough to get under your skin, while there are rushed scenes of dialogue between characters and a wasted opportunity to re-create the battle scene in the climax.

The score is incredible, and the cinematography is done very well. Even though it does not match to the caliber of Django or 12 Years, The Birth Of A Nation is an incredibly important film, and touches a part of American history that needs to be shed light on now more than ever.

It's mostly a dull knife but easily pierces through the historical genre.