Film Review – The Birth of a Nation

The release of “The Birth of a Nation” is ideally timed, tapping into the zeitgeist with its depiction of race-based violence, deliberately erecting a bridge between woes of the past and fears for the future. It’s a provocative picture, intending to stimulate discomfort and inspire horror, but co-writer/director/star Nate Parker doesn’t have much more than shock value with this latest attempt to inspect the savagery of American slavery. “The Birth of a Nation” has some sensational visual ideas and a few strong performances, but it’s also a tired “Braveheart” retread with nothing new to say about the Black Experience, often recycling brutality found in better features. Instead of inspiring a cultural awakening, Parker has a made an exploitation movie, and not a terribly effective one at that. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com