The Birth of a Nation (2016)- BFI London Film Festival 2016

120min

Genre:      Fact-based, Drama

Director:   Nate Parker

Cast:        Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King…and more

Writers:    Nate Parker and Jean McGianni Celestin

-Synopsis-

Nate Parker writes, directs and stars in a biographical drama about the life of Nat Turner; an early 19th century slave and preacher in the antebellum south, who led a violent rebellion in Virginia against white slave owners and their plantations, and in the process became an American symbol of resistance and revolution which endures nearly 200 years later.

In reference to the 1915 epic and groundbreaking silent film of the same name, which was highly sympathetic to the confederacy and now considered fundamentally racist; Nate Parker subverts the D.W. Griffith classic and reclaims the title for his own cradle-to-grave biopic of Nat Turner. A unique individual whose destiny meant a fate different to the countless of brutalised people stolen from Africa, and on whose backs a superpower was built, making the title particularly apt.

Like many recent films about southern American slavery, including ’12 Years a Slave’ and ‘Free State of Jones’, ‘The Birth of a Nation’ is unflinching in graphically depicting the brutal realities of enslavement, but it certainly doesn’t start that way. There’s an early focus on Turner’s early life in an almost idyllic plantation, with a near benign master and his family, who teach a young Turner to read, thus setting him on the path towards the holy teachings.

But as the realities of Southern slavery seep into his plantation and the veneer of civility wears off, a series of harrowing events will shake Turner’s faith and hope for the future, only to then strengthen his resolve and a sense of righteousness which becomes a higher calling for revolt and holy vengeance.

Indeed Christianity is a major theme of both the real story and the film, which depicts how Turner became a powerful and persuasive preacher, with his talents being exploited by the slave masters; only to result in a major “script-flip” when he became galvanised by the “good book” and used its “spiritual logic” against those who had used it to subjugate his people. All of which however serves to highlight the contradictory words of a loving and righteous but simultaneously wrathful and vindictive god, while reminding us of how devilishly useful and convenient religion can be.

With a healthy budget for an indie venture, but a modest one considering its ambition, Parker wrangles beautiful visuals from cinematographer Elliot Davis of the stunning mangroves and fields in a Georgia standing in for Virginia, which combines with top-notch production and costume design. While the performances are all accomplished, from familiar faces like Armie Hammer as the plantation master and Penelope Ann Miller as his mother, to relative unknown Aja Naomi King as Nat Turner’s wife and fellow slave “Cherry”. But Nate Parker is the undeniable star of his own show, delivering a powerful and emotive performance which builds and explodes into something even the most revered black church preachers would be proud of.

It’s depressing to think that there could be parallels between this shameful period of early 19th century history and the United States of today, but ‘The Birth of a Nation’ is a product of the time in which it was made, and a politically charged one at that. In a 21st century where African Americans are crying out in anger over police shootings and discrimination, the political movement “Black Lives Matter” has arisen and been met by unconditional support from some, vilification from others and an uneasy acceptance from the majority, and much of the same probably applies to this film.

Given the troubling and sensitive subject matter, it’s inevitable that Nate Parker’s film would be controversial and as with all films based on a true story, historical accuracy will be a bone of contention. But Parker stays relatively close to established events, while omitting some things and of course taking artistic liberties in developing the characters and their relationships.

However the characterisation of Nat Turner himself will most likely be the most controversial aspect of ‘The Birth of a Nation’ for some; the film is clear in its reverence for a man pushed to the brink by horror, empowered by conviction and belief to fight back and take a stand that would echo beyond his corner of the south. But some have argued that his was a self-righteous act which led to the death of hundreds of innocent people and further misery for slaves and free black folk in the south, and one which Turner must have assumed would bring no change, but such is the nature of history that after nearly 200 years we can’t really know the nature of the man.

There are however some major narrative choices and execution issues which ultimately prevent ‘The Birth of a Nation’ from being the captivating experience that the powerful real story deserves. Firstly there’s no getting away from how similar this film feels to another “historical” melodrama; from the dynamic between Turner, his family and their oppressors, to the relationship with his wife and the events which lead to the revolt, not to mention the basic plot and its execution,  Parker’s film shares so much with Mel Gibson’s ‘Braveheart’ that it can hardly be a coincidence.

Indeed the major difference, aside from the setting, is the fact that ‘The Birth of a Nation’ has a heavily imbalanced narrative, choosing to focus almost entirely on the life story of Nat Turner and the lead-in to the uprising. Only to then devote very little time to the major events which make the story unique, and then wrap it all up abruptly and disappointingly, again with heavy echoes of William Wallace’s fate. And when combined with an out-of-place melodramatic score and an execution littered with dramatic clichés, it makes ‘The Birth of a Nation’ a stirring yet underwhelming biopic, rather than a gripping account of an extraordinary event during a deeply troubling time in American history.

The Bottom Line…

Nate Parker takes on the story of a remarkable individual in the most harrowing of circumstances and manages to craft a stirring moral outrage drama with contemporary resonance. But a faltering and uneven narrative, plus questionable execution of a derivative story prevents ‘The Birth of a Nation’ from being the utterly captivating story it should be, ultimately amounting to a preachy and melodramatic albeit affecting drama, and a brutal but morbidly cathartic revenge story.

‘The Birth of a Nation’ is out now in the US, and on the 9th of December in the UK.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Free State of Jones (2016)

Biographical drama set during the American civil war starring Matthew McConaughey as Newton Knight; a southern army soldier-turned-deserter who formed a small army and free society of fellow confederate deserters and runaway slaves, resisting the whims of a doomed army and powerful men while creating a legacy which lasted well beyond emancipation into a segregated 20th century south.

Directed by Gary Ross and starring Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mahershala Ali among others.

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