The Birth of a Nation (2016), R, ★★★

I heard so much publicity: both good and bad. So, I will begin my review with the publicity surrounding the movie and then move forward to concentrate on the art and nothing else. People were raving about this movie on January at the Sundance Film Festival as it got a standing ovation for Nate Parker because this was a few days after the once-again controversial Oscar nominations in which no one of color in the acting or directing nominees was African-American. (I did not say "foreign" because Alejandro G. Inñaritu was nominated for best director and won for The Revenant.) But, it was great for the movie that Fox Searchlight purchased it for $17 million. But, the flip side of the coin is that Parker was faced with controversy surrounding alleged rape accusations and there were a few scenes that concentrated on that subject. So, will it hurt its Oscar chances? Most likely. Even though it has flaws with its screenplay and its direction, Parker has demonstrated his sheer ambition and conviction to display an important event in history.

A young Nat Turner (Tony Espinosa) is living as a slave with his mother, Nancy (Aunajnue Ellis), father, Isaac (Dwight Henry) and grandmother Bridget (Esther Scott). They are owned by the Turner family as he is friends with their young son, Samuel. After his mother, Elizabeth (Penelope Ann Miller) calls him for turner, Nat spots a book on the rocking chair on the porch. Later that evening, Isaac is caught stealing food by three white men who is lead by Raymond Cobb (Jackie Earle Haley). They fight until one of the men gets shot. Isaac is nearly shot and tells Nancy that they must leave. Elizabeth knows that Nat is reading and tells Nancy that she will give Nat English lessons and teach him about the Bible.

Later, Nat (Nate Parker) and Samuel (Armie Hammer) are grown up as they are riding by a slave auction. Nat convinces Samuel to buy a "wench" named Cherry (Aja Naomi King) for $275. Later, Reverend Walthall (Mat Boone Jr.) approaches Samuel and suggests that Nat can go on a tour to preach to other slaves in the country in exchange for monetary compensation. Nat eventually gets married to Cherry whose real name is Madison and they become parents to a girl named Joanna.

Over the years, Nat does his work on a tour as he is preaching and giving speeches to the slaves. On Nat's tour, he becomes aware of the plantation owners' cruelty toward the slaves and observes a slave named Esther (Gabrielle Union) to be escorted to one of Samuel's friends' quarters. Nat has had enough as his preachings become more aggressive and he holds not much respect for his owners, including his former friend, Samuel. Nat gathers a number of slaves in the community to start a rebellion against the white owners.

This is a not difficult movie to review but a hard movie to decipher and conceive in terms of the mature and disturbing material. Even though there are sparks of brilliant filmmaking in terms of a bravura epic with the ambitious action scenes, however, there are flaws in its storytelling. I found some distracting coincidences with the main villain portrayed by Jackie Earle Haley as he is the symbol of the typical white owner which I found a bit tedious because not every white owner is portrayed like that. And, also I thought that the villain was basically a manipulated and motivated plot point to push the narrative forward for Nat Turner personally and takes the away the grand historical themes of the movie.

Nate Turner is a good actor and gives a sublime performance but at times, I felt his direction is mostly centered on him and his observations and not on the situation or heartbreak surrounding the slaves. There's a bit of heartbreak surrounding his family, his punishment and some rape scenes. Artie Hammer also gives a solid performance as his companion and slave owner is conflicted with the environment and the friendship. Penelope Ann Miller is quietly great in a small supporting role and Aja Naomi King is good.

This is a necessary and important movie to watch for our time right now because the issues surrounding the racial boundaries between owner and slave. Even though the narrative pushes on more on a personal side that does not quite hang together real well but on a grander note, it is a competently made film with great production and solid performances. Now, is it an Oscar contender? Mmmm...not really. But, I thought that this is a solid debut for Nate Parker that gets him confidence in the right path in terms of his directing career.

***