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‘The Birth of a Nation’ movie review
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE_
v The Birth of a Nation is a American
period drama that chronicles the life of
Nat Turner, a slave who led a rebellion in
Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831.
The film was co-written, co-produced and
directed by Nate Parker in his directorial
debut. The film stars Parker as Turner and
was released on Oct. 7, 2016 and was
highly praised for its directing, acting,
soundtrack and cinematography.
The film opens when Turner is a
young boy on a plantation with his family.
His father soon runs away from the plan
tation after killing a slave tracker. Turner
is then introduced to the bible and begins
to learn how to read. He soon starts
preaching to the congregation of his slave
owners congregation.
After the passing of his slave owner he
his forced to work in the fields while also
preaching to the other slaves on the plan
tation. A severe drought has hit
Southampton County at the time which
has caused some slaves on the local plan
tations to become uneasy and talks of an
uprising start to spread.
Turner's owner, his former owners son
Sam, then buys a female slave, Cherry,
who later becomes his love interest and
wife. Cherry is given to Katherine, Sam's
sister as a wedding present, and goes to
live with her. Cherry and Turner begin to
bond and their relationship flourishes.
Sam Turner is then approached by the
local pastor with a proposition to make
money to get him out of debt. The propo
sition involves Nat preaching to other
slaves in order to end the talk of rebellion
and keep the slaves in order.
While preaching Turner sees the atroc
ities of other slaves in neighboring planta
tions. Later his wife is assaulted by two
slave trackers and after baptizing a white
man on his masters property Turner is tied
to a post and nearly beaten to death with a
whip. After being nursed back to health
he finds his grandmother dead in her rock
ing chair. This was essentially the straw
that broke the camels back as he then
starts to enact his plan of rebellion.
He asks a fellow slave to round up
other slaves to meet and discuss his plan.
He tells them of the visions he has had and
tells them “the first shall be last, and the
last shall be first.” After seeing a solar
eclipse in the sky he takes that as his sign
to begin the rebellion.
After spending time with his still ail
ing wife Turner goes to Samuel's room
and butchers him with an ax. He goes to
his mothers house and informs her of his
actions and what he plans for the future.
He collect more men to join his ranks.
They proceed to neighboring farms and
kill their owners while liberating the
slaves.
A young boy in the party runs off and
informs the white people of the plans of *
the rebelling slaves. The slaves reach the
armory in Jerusalem which was the origi
nal plan but they are met by a militia who
had set a trap for the men and they are
slaughtered.
Turner escapes the melee and goes to
see Cherry one last time to say his good
byes. Turner then walks into town and is
beaten by several white people and subse
quently arrested. The movie closes as
Turner is walked down the path to be put
to death. He is then strung up and hanged
as an angry mob looks on a celebrates his
death. While being hanged Turner sees an
angel and closes his eyes for the last time.
The young boy who ran from the mob is
then seen crying as he looks on at the
death of Turner. The young boy is then
seen as an adult fighting in the civil war as
the screen fades to black.