Just recently, the release of the highly anticipated historical account of African American preacher Nat Turner, "The Birth of a Nation", has gained some unusual infamy over the past few weeks. Ever since its release at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the film has been in most film critic's conversations when it comes to the Oscars. However, prior to the release, drama surrounding director Nate Parker has since overshadowed the actual quality of the movie.
Parker, who also starred as Nat Turner in the flick, has just recently been questioned about an incident surrounding rape that occurred back in 1999 during his college experience. Him and his friend, Jean Celestin allegedly sexually assaulted an 18 year old girl seventeen years ago. The accuser would later commit suicide in the year of 2012. Now, with the release of Parker's film, the talk doesn't seem to be about Oscars, but rather about whether or not the first time director is a criminal.
In an age where things like domestic violence is taken very seriously in our society, you have to wonder if Parker will be celebrated for "The Birth of a Nation", even though it was a well executed film. Although he hasn't been pronounced guilty of the crime quite yet, the recent questions surrounding Parker may just be enough to keep film goers away, and it could be the cause of the drop in box office totals for the first week it was out.
Parker giving a speech
Personally, I thought the movie was done exceptionally well. I hate to say it, but Parker's performance stood out to me the most out of any other aspect of the movie. At the same time however, I wonder if we should still award him with a Best Actor nomination, even though he has had recent controversy surrounding him and his character over the past month. I also wonder if it is even worth reviewing this film if Parker is indeed a monster who has gotten away with a heinous crime.
Some people will argue that there really wasn't an important female part in the film. This may be a stretch, but could this possibly show Parker's thoughts on where women stand in movies? Maybe he doesn't believe that women should deserve a heroic spot in a movie. Yes, this may sound ridiculous, but if the past is true, it may not be so farfetched.
It's quite ironic how someone like Nate Parker can create a movie where he himself plays the heroic character of the movie, yet he may have had a hideous past. For his sake, I hope he didn't do the horrendous deed, because he created a hell of a film. It packed the emotional punch that many movies this year lacked. With that in mind, it would be a shame if Parker were the cause of the film's own demise.
