The Birth of a Nation

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source: The Birth of a Nation

The movie was well written and tastefully done. It wasn't as graphic as I thought it would be, and I certainly appreciate that, as I had already prepared myself to close my eyes throughout most of the movie. The film mostly requires you to listen. Don't get me wrong, you cringed and did more than cringe in moments, you will experience different emotions throughout the film, but it seems as if Nate Parker as a first time director tried to be considerate of our stomachs so you can pay attention to most of the dialogue and get to know who Nat Turner and his family were before any of that took place. I'm glad I followed my first mind and ignored the obviously biased "epic fail" review that immediately started floating around social media the day before the film started to try and discourage people from going.I don't think the author realized the movie was only "based on true events" and not the "biography of Nat Turner" before shouting about inaccuracies. However, I am aware that this film is not for everyone depending on how you go into a movie theater with certain expectations. The acting was great, our diverse crowd left the theater speechless and positive conversations took place. Even though the unfortunate Hurricane Matthew has taken place, I believe through word of mouth, this independent film will continue to rise in numbers and positive reviews despite of a few spewing negativity. See the movie for yourself. Don't let anyone tell you how to feel and whether you should go or not go. Do what you want and get what you need from the movie personally.

While The Birth of A Nation may not present a drastically new perspective of slavery that was seen in movies such as Django: Unchained and 12 Years A Slave, it still prevails as another successful slavery based movie. The key to just about every movie that deals with the topic of slavery is presenting a realistic look at the sheer brutality and wickedness that can be associated with it. A Birth of a Nation is never afraid to display the gory and at times uncomfortable imagery that was present in the time period. This also leads to the movie being very moving visually. However, the overabundance of visually stunning scenes does detract from the emotional weight of the story and its characters. As to expect from any first-time director/writer/producer, they may have trouble balancing so many elements in a movie of this magnitude. Nate Parker does deliver a great performance of Nat Turner, and the scenes of him delivering his sermons are some of the best of the movie. However, character traits such as his motivation aren't as well developed, and make the movie feel underdeveloped when certain moments happen. The rest of the movie's characters also have a lack of development, and it makes the movie really feel like a one-man show. In addition to these factors, there is the undeniable comparison to prior slavery based movies such as Django: Unchained and 12 Years A Slave. While Birth Of A Nation is a great movie in its own right, it still pales in comparison to both of these movies lacking the captivation that made both of these movies classics. True it may not be completely fair to make this comparison, but walking out of the movie, I just couldn't help but think: "Great movie, but just didn't quite live up to the hype."

I love movies based on true stories, especially when the topic of slavery in antebellum America is concerned. Yes, there were several excellent examples, but this one is simply NOT of them. This one is extremely slow, boring, vapid, languid, uninspiring,gray, bland take on a Nat Turner's rebellion in 1831, and nay, it fails to deliver miserably on all levels. Even a whole team of good African-American actors could not save this mediocre take from dragging and falling into pieces already first hour. The further the film goes the more boring and terribly misfired it becomes, just a waste of time, effort and money. The nature is beautiful, several scenes are good, but all of them drown under a leaden weight of unimaginable lack of energy, drive or gusto. Nate Parker cannot deliver the main part as well, he is never above average or simply blank. No, sir, this is not the movie you'd like to watch to get a hefty history lesson on slavery. Glory was a mile better despite some drawbacks.

This was a good movie. Imagine being in a helpless and hopeless position. Imagine having no power or rights. Imagine your life and others who look like you being told and made to do things that you don't want to do. Imagine seeing your wife and children raped. Or imagine watching a brother get whipped for making eye contact. Lastly, imagine a child hood playmate who no longer sees you as an equal, but as inferior. This movie is about the few slaves who were helpless and hopeless finding hope through an outraged and intelligent slave Nat Turner. This movie was awesome in that it provided a lot of imagery and left hardly anything to the imagination. The film provided camera close-ups of the beatings, torture, starvation, and lynching of slaves. It evoked emotions in you and provided you with an idea of the hurt and pain Nat Turner and other alike felt. These scenes helped with understanding Nat Turner's rage. In addition, I also enjoyed how the movie displayed both sides of the coin. There were slaves who seemed complacent with their current state and there were slaves who wanted a revolution. There also appeared to be whites who wore disgusted by the treatment of slaves too, yet fearing their safety and position in society they acted like the others, yet silently hurting for the condition of slaves. Overall, this movie was about hurt, heartbreak, change and freedom, minuscule albeit, but change in a good direction that was a starting point.

It is truly a breath of fresh air to watch a film that revises history, to include the truth about the enslaved, in America. It would seem that some would feel disturbed by what they see on the screen, but the script, now a film by Nate Parker, is not merely a "get whitey" get revenge narrative. It is a coming of age-reluctant hero-love story. Nat Turner finds himself in an untenable condition, continuing to ignore what he sees, just to survive, but in the end, when he decides to end the untenable, he puts his faith forward to live. The sound mix on the film, the edit and the cinematography-- shot for shot-- is classic storytelling. The acting, the motivated lighting, and how it accents the exterior and interior design of the sets, the costumes on the actors, and 'the unspoken' by the actors-- elements seldom recognized-- drives the plot as much as the spoken words and actions of the actors. This is truly, forget Oscar-- NAACP, BET Honors, Stellar Awards, etc., worthy, and then once it receives all of the Black awards, then and only then should Nate Parker even think of giving Oscar the blessing of the cast, the crew and himself at the academy awards. What's the greatest advance brought by Nate Parker's The Birth of a Nation? It is the Black lead character does not need the help of a munificent white character that is the "great savior" of Black people in bondage. Like films that have come before it, "Boss Ni@@er" (1975), "Shaft" (1970); lately, "Django Unchained" (2012), and "The Magnificent 7" (2016)-- the lead actor is a strong-in thought and deed-hero, whom everyone, no matter what race he or she is, can relate to. We need more heroes on the big screen representing the Black experience, which is anyone's experience who loves movies about the underdog triumph. Nate Parker's The Birth of a Nation Is Worth The Ticket Price; so get your crew of family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends together, and see this film again, again and again.

I loved this movie. I wouldn't say I quite liked it as much as 12 Years a Slave, but it's right up there. It's powerful and extremely effective. Its portrayal of slave life is absolutely gut-wrenching. You feel the darkness and the despair in every day. The art direction and costume design is flawless, because you don't feel like you're just watching a movie about the 1800's; you feel like you are simply there. I was so invested and immersed in this world, and a lot of that is due to Nate Parker's direction. This is his first feature film that he's made, and I was blown away by his ability to use the camera. He effectively moves in and around this timeline, telling the story of Nat Turner. We all knew what was going to happen at the end, but the set-up and building his character was essential in making us feel invested in the events to come. And I think Parker, for a first time director, did a marvelous job telling this story right.

"Anytime anyone is enslaved, or in any way deprived of his liberty, if that person is a human being, as far as I am concerned he is justified to resort to whatever methods necessary to bring about his liberty again." Malcolm X The antebellum South had not been kind to slaves, if you look only at the award-winning 12 Years a Slave, in which Solomon Northrup, an upstate New York free man, was sold into slavery. But you can now relive that excruciating experience from the religious and moral perspective of a slave, Nat Turner (Nate Parker), in Nate Parker's realistic and dramatic The Birth of a Nation. While both men are mercilessly whipped in the two films, 12 Years remains superior in its scope and complexity. Yet, Birth is strong in deeply exploring the hero's motivations for the rebellion he eventually foments in 1831. It shows his daily humiliations and hardening in the face of unfettered violence, his growing reliance on the Bible for rebellion, and finally the brutal rape of his wife, Cherry (Aja Naomi King). The film graphically depicts the violence and is equally indulgent showing the growing love between Nate and her. As in 12 Years, Birth takes care to show the close relationship between slave and master, Samuel (Armie Hammer). In both cases, master might seem at times benign but not over the length of the film. The owner becomes a symbol of the once proud South now reduced to exploiting human beings, in this case black slaves. In Birth, the progression to violence is slow, even as the ultimate violence comes on us. Parker has a director's eye for the ironies inherent in the beautiful Virginia mansion (actually filmed in Savannah) and the poverty of the servants' quarters, the empathy of Samuel's mother, Elizabeth (Penelope Ann Miller), and the growing intolerance of her son. Thank Geoffrey Kirkland's production design— white plantation houses and those iconic drooping willows—to a stirring, sometimes too intrusive, score by Henry Jackson. Elliot Davis's camera is particularly strong in night shots. Director Parker's slow pullback shot of the mass hanging is memorable. Although this film does not have the epic perspective of its namesake by D. W. Griffith (1915), it is nonetheless a respectable entry into the canon of film helping to reconcile the white and black populace, the birth of tolerance.