'Birth of a Nation' is an amazing work of art
'The Birth of a Nation' is based on the true story of Nat Turner, a slave and preacher who led a rebellion in antebellum Virginia.
By Brian Truitt, USA Today October 7, 2016 8:14 AM
Nate Parker and Aja Naomi King in 'The Birth of a Nation.' (Photo: Fox Searchlight)
With not-so-civil disobedience, Nat Turner forcefully fought for his people’s freedom more than 100 years before there was such a thing as a civil rights movement.
He has his story told in brutal, unrelenting yet masterful fashion by director/star Nate Parker in The Birth of a Nation (**** out of four; rated 14A), which chronicles a violent uprising of slaves in 1831 Virginia. While it has been overshadowed offscreen by past rape allegations surrounding Parker, the drama isn't an easy watch, either from the standpoint of tortured blacks or in their white owners' climactic comeuppance. Still, Parker crafts the narrative in a way that immerses audiences in the heartbreaking though redemptive emotional journey of the conflicted main character.
When he’s not picking cotton — shown as a particularly nasty plantation job — Nat (Parker) preaches to a small congregation of other slaves. As a child, he was taken under the wing of his master’s wife (Penelope Ann Miller) and taught to read the Bible, and as an adult, he continues a lifelong friendship with her son Samuel (Armie Hammer). When Nat foresees an unfortunate situation for an abused slave named Cherry (Aja Naomi King), he convinces Samuel to buy her and give her safe haven.
Armie Hammer (left) and Nate Parker (centre) in a scene from 'The Birth of a Nation' (Fox/Searchlight)
Nat extols the virtues of the Word and begins a relationship with Cherry that leads to marriage and a baby, yet there is also talk that slaves in the area are becoming more uncontrollable. For extra cash, the financially struggling Samuel hires Nat out as a traveling minister to help white men keep his fellow slaves in check. Nat begins to see the travesties befalling others and feels the pain of the whip himself. After Cherry is savagely attacked, a switch flips inside Nat and the commandment of “Thou shalt not kill” gives way to bloody vengeance.
A work this powerful would be impressive for any filmmaker, so the fact that this is Parker’s first directorial feature is undoubtedly amazing. Parker creates a fascinating portrait of Nat Turner as neither hero nor villain. In the end, he’s portrayed as a man faced with tough decisions. While the path he takes may not have been the most righteous, for a moviegoer who has watched his tragedy unfold, it's an understandable one.
With racial injustice seemingly part of every news cycle 185 years after the events of Birth of a Nation, it’s chilling when Cherry informs Nat, "They're killing people everywhere for no reason at all but being black." But even as Parker’s own past becomes a conversation outside multiplexes, there’s no question that what he puts on the screen is artistry that can’t be ignored.
