Review of The Birth of a Nation (2016) by Anthony B — 09 Oct 2016

The Birth of A Nation, about the 1831 Nat Turner slave rebellion, depicts slavery as utterly barbaric, ironically adopting the title of the classic film that glorified the Klu Klux Klan. This film should be required viewing for non-blacks, but seeing cruel punishment inflicted by members of one's own race on innocent people is just so hard to watch.

This is no doubt one reason the film has yet to attract an audience. It also raises the question of who you may find yourself sitting next to in the theatre. The day I saw it, there was a small, mostly African American audience.

At one point the hero asks his wife if she minds him risking certain death by joining an armed rebellion. When she says no, the cinema audience applauded. Would I have been able to oppose prevailing white prejudice had I been alive then? I'll never know.