a review of 一个国家的诞生

February: 13/28 At a certain point last year, this was one of my most eagerly anticipated films of the year. Then the rape charges against director/star Nate Parker and co-writer Jean Celestin came to light, and the initial buzz gave way to some real misgivings in myself and certain critics who I read and respected. As curious as I was to see the film's treatment of the Nat Turner rebellion and how that in turn commented on our modern civil rights moment, I was also sickened by the circumstances surrounding its creators. So it was with a certain level of trepidation that I selected this one for my February Black History Month viewing (via Redbox rental), and ultimately I found myself underwhelmed with the film. The screenplay plays fast and loose with Turner's biography largely for dramatic effect, yet curiously omits whole episodes (such as the month-long disappearance-cum-vision quest that ultimately inspired his rebellion) that could have been made into excellent grist for cinematic interpretation. Parker's performance of Turner lacks gravitas, turning his deep, mystically-influenced moral outrage at the condition of his people into something resembling mere personal grievance. Coming in the wake of recent slavery-era films like 12 Years A Slave or Django Unchained, the film's depiction of slavery seems strangely muted, with the brief moments of shocking cruelty dampened by long stretches of genteel racist banality. This was a movie that I really wanted to say something good about in spite of the controversy surrounding its creators, but it really doesn't add anything new or necessary to the overall conversation, and that's a shame.