Nate Parker (Beyond the Lights, Non-Stop) made his big-screen debut back in 2006, but a decade later, many moviegoers might not be able to pick him out of a lineup. However, that’s all about to change. The incredible The Birth of a Nation is about to launch Parker into the next tier of not just actors but also directors and screenwriters. I’ll be the first to say that I didn’t know who Parker was, but it might be time for me to go back and watch some of the movies on his filmography. Not only did Parker give an Oscar-worthy leading actor performance, but he also directed and wrote this film that, somehow, is flying under the radar. Parker knocked this movie out of the park. The 79% rating it is currently receiving on Rotten Tomatoes is quite respectable (especially for a movie based on a true event, but one that even Parker described as reality-based fiction), but I have seen almost no promotional materials for this movie. It opened the same weekend as Girl on the Train, which may have received as much publicity as any other movie released in 2016 so far.

Part of me wonders if The Birth of a Nation is intentionally or unintentionally subdued because of what is currently happening in America. This movie ultimately is about African-American slaves revolting against their white slave owners in 1831 Southampton, Virginia. There is a high amount of racial tension in 2016 resulting from a multitude of things that include the numerous killings of unarmed African Americans by white police officers. It is both disgusting and frightening to see these events played out for the world to see via such things as handheld cameras. It has resulted in celebrities such as NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and US National Soccer Team halfback Megan Rapinoe taking a knee during the playing of the National Anthem. It has resulted in a person like Lebron James having to tell the American public that he worries about his son’s safety one day getting pulled over by a bad cop. It has resulted in some of my black friends saying that they are scared about getting pulled over by a police officer and are particularly worried about that happening to their children. It makes me sad to see some of my most upbeat friends uncharacteristically somber. It has resulted in probably the highest racial tension since the 1991 Rodney King beatings and subsequent riots, if not since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Sadly, I would say that this movie is very timely and probably should not be getting squashed the way that I feel it is getting squashed…at least how it has been leading into its debut weekend.

While watching this film, something that kept coming to my mind was how much it reminded me of 12 Years a Slave. While the movies were quite different from one another, they both revolved around slavery, particularly how cruel the white slaveowners could be to their African-American slaves. While I will compare the two movies in this review, I want to mention that 12 Years a Slave was put on a concise list of best picture candidates even before its release in 2012 (the movie did go on to win Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay while also earning six other Oscar nominations). The Birth of a Nation doesn’t have nearly the fanfare and, while it might not be quite as perfect as 12 Years a Slave, it’s not really that far behind. It’s an incredibly moving movie that tells a story that many of us don’t know because this part of American History doesn’t receive all of the attention that maybe it should receive in some of our high school social studies programs. I find it ironic that 12 Years a Slave received nine Academy Award nominations while The Birth of a Nation might not earn any.

A young Nat is taught how to read The Bible by Elizabeth Turner (Penelope Ann Miller – The Artist, television’s CSI: NY), the white wife of the plantation owner and mother of his childhood friend Samuel. Soon Nat is preaching The Bible to his fellow slaves. It is thought that the motivational readings and word of the lord would help encourage the other slaves to work harder and faster. It is believed that the slaves are lazy and not working to their potential, resulting in not as much cotton being picked and subsequently sold. Many plantation owners are in debt and, rather than purchasing and having to feed more slaves, are looking for ways to get their current slaves to perform better. Hearing one of their own preach the word of God is believed to be one way to achieve this.

Fast-forward to 1831, and not much has changed except that Samuel (Armie Hammer – The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Nocturnal Animals) is now the owner of the plantation. Elizabeth is still around to help her son, but it is clear that the burdens, especially the financial ones, fall heavily on Samuel’s shoulders. Nat is still a trustworthy person in his life, but the relationship is very much slave owner and slave. They are not friends because it is not acceptable for them to be friends. Still, Samuel watches over Nat in a way that many other slave owners would not. So when he is approached by Reverend   (Mark Boone Jr. – 30 Days of Night, F/X’s Sons of Anarchy) about using Nat as a way to make money by going from plantation to plantation to preach the word of God and inspire other slaves to work harder in the same way that he has inspired the ones at his plantation, Samuel reluctantly agrees. He doesn’t want to, but he needs the money to save the ranch. It’s what he has to do, and Nat understands.

Over the course of a few months, Samuel and Nat travel from plantation to plantation and meet all kinds of people. Some slave owners are as seemingly kind as Samuel does, while others treat their slaves worse than they would a bag of trash. Some of the atrocities that we see occur rival that of 12 Years a Slave if not surpass. This portion of the movie is difficult to stomach at times. Like Samuel, the slaves are seen as nothing more than property, and even the “good ones” are seen as nothing more than property. I won’t give away any of the particulars, but Nat sees so many things that no person should ever have to see. Slowly, there is a rage building in him, and the voice in his sermons is changing from God being a loving one to quoting verses like Those who classify others as inhuman have relinquished the right to be thought of as human themselves. This is where the movie takes a completely different turn…one that I was not at all expecting outside of seeing the violent image on the movie poster.

I don’t have a problem with the turn in the movie. The whole point of the movie was to show the first slave revolt in the United States. The timing just felt odd. This turn in the movie didn’t occur at the halfway point. It occurred when the movie was two-thirds complete. And Nat’s personality did a complete change. I understand that seeing so many bad things in the world will change even the kindest person with the kindest soul. And that’s what happened with Nat. It’s just that he flipped a switch quickly and that the change in his personality was more radical than anything you would expect…especially that quickly. The ending was a little unexpected too, and it felt rushed. There were some not-so-subtle comparisons to the crucifixion of Jesus.

The Birth of a Nation is a fantastic movie. It’s flawed for sure. But I don’t think that’s anything that should be held against it. On the contrary, it’s an important part of the history of our country. I honestly wish I had known more about Nat Turner going into this film, but I will be sure to do some research on him now.

Plot 8.5/10 (I wish it were a true story rather than being based on a true story and having its director even calling it reality-based fiction)
Character Development 9/10 (the development of Nat was great…there were just a lot of characters in this movie that it was a little difficult to separate a few of minor ones from the others)
Character Chemistry 8.5/10 (the dynamic between Nat and Sam was great…there was less of a dynamic between Nat and other characters, such as Cherry)
Acting 8.5/10 (a coming-out party for Nate Parker as well as some lesser-known actors holding their own)
Screenplay 9/10 (each scene mattered, but the transition between acts 2 and 3 was a little rough…it was almost as if we had two different movies…which is fine…if the transition makes sense…in the case of this movie, I felt that while you could feel the angst in Nat brewing from extremely early in the movie that his switch from a passive approach to an aggressive happened a little quickly)
Directing 9.5/10 (previously Parker had only directed shorts…for his first feature-length debut, he did an amazing job)
Cinematography 9.5/10
Sound 10/10 (tremendous score)
Hook and Reel 10/10 (engaged from the very first minute until the very last)
Universal Relevance 10/10
92.5%