I get it. Sometimes it’s extremely difficult to differentiate between a piece of work and it’s creator. It’s hard to find the line between the artist and their painting, a musician and their song, a director and their film. This controversial principle comes into play when you consider the recent break-out film, The Birth of a Nation. The movie, which some deemed just another slave movie which will probably win an Oscar because of guilt, tells Nat Turner’s story. The monumental figure in the journey to Black liberation has his story portrayed on the big screen, and normally this prospect would receive little to no criticism. Yes, there would be the inevitable protests from White America who would much rather stay in blissful ignorance, but normally slave movies are accepted into the black community with open arms. This was not the case in this scenario.
The controversy surrounding the film originates in the film’s director and main star. In 1999, Nate Parker was accused of raping a classmate at Penn State. He was later acquitted of the charge, but the case has surfaced in the recent years after the accuser committed suicide in 2012. Her suicide raised questions surrounding the sexual assault and many perceived her death as a guilty ticket on Parker’s behalf. Because of Parker’s murky personal history and past dances with the law, many have publicly protested the movie. These protests were used as a way to stand up to sexual assault, especially sexual assault by celebrities. These boycotts of the film seem to have paid off, as the box office polls announce that the movie did worse than expected, making just around $7.1 million.
The stars of the film knew that Parker’s background would play a role in a dwindling audience, and I will admit that they did try to encourage movie-goers to give them a chance, (cue appearances on the Today show and Good Morning America) but their efforts just didn’t seem to pay off. Co-star Gabrielle Union admitted in an interview that she understood why some may want to skip out on this one and that it was OK to do so. But she also recommended separating the art from the man. I’m not saying that The Birth of a Nation was phenomenal or particularly extraordinary. But the vivid history behind the film is. For the Black community, our history is chains and labor, a history that many would like us to willingly forget. So there’s nothing wrong with educating yourself with dramatic reenactments of the origins of this country that we live in. Again, there’s nothing specifically astonishing about this film. But at the end of the day, it holds pretty good cinematography with a diverse cast that portrays a key part of our history. It’s entertaining and tragic and important, especially in today’s age. If you have strong opinions about its main star, that’s fine, don’t see it in theaters. But maybe consider looking into other ways to see the film or look into Nat Turner and the rebellions he led because we have enough obstacles blocking us from our history already. Sometimes, it’s bigger than the actors or the directors or the producers, it’s about the repressed history that we can’t let be forgotten.
