Review of The Birth of a Nation (2016) by Rashaan O — 14 Oct 2016

Excellent movie....acting was top notch, story telling was superb, and the film moved at a pace that kept your attention. I particularly like how it depicted Nat being told to use the Bible to control the enslaved , and how he struggled with that concept because the Gospel is ultimately about freedom.

I am typically not a fan of slave narratives, as I find a lot of them are watered down and sanitized so as to not offend people with the true brutality that slaves were subjected to. And if you think the life of a slave wasn't one of constant mental and physical abuse, visit the "Whitney Plantation" outside of New Orleans.

It preserves the history and legacy of slavery...from the slaves perspective. My wife and I toured the Whitney Plantation and I couldn't believe some of the things I saw. However, this film was about more than the suffering, it was about one person's desire to see his people free, a modern day Moses.

Hollywood produces a lot a films about people rising up to fight for their freedom, but this is a rare look into the makings of a slave rebellion where a brave man decided he would rather die than to live another day as a slave.

Go see it. It is definitely worth your money.