Review of The Birth of a Nation (2016) by James W — 05 May 2017

Actor Nate Parker's directorial debut is a good film. He took the title of probably the most controversial and racist films ever made, D.W. Griffith's 1915 film of the same name, and made a film about a slave revolt.

Unfortunately, this film was mired in controversy because Parker and a friend are alleged to have raped a young woman when they were students in college several years ago. They were both acquitted. Sadly, the woman committed suicide some years later.

I don't know if he committed the crime or not. I tried not to judge the film on those terms. It's a good film. I think I vaguely remember reading about this slave revolt in an American history class.

Now I know more about it after seeing the film, though I know the film was fictionalized somewhat. Parker plays Nat Turner a literate slave who becomes a preacher. At first he preaches to his fellow slaves to obey their masters.

After seeing much of the brutality of slavery and the gang rape of his wife by white men (which I heard was fiction) he preaches to the slaves to fight against their masters. He leads a revolt. Of course if you know American history you will know how it turns out.

Overall, a good directorial debut and good performances all around by Parker, Colman Domingo, Penelope Ann Miller and Armie Hammer as Turner's owner who is not a monster but a very flawed person nonetheless.