The Birth of a Nation is a 2016 American period drama film written and directed by Nate Parker in his directorial debut. It is based on the story of Nat Turner, the enslaved man who led a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831. The film stars Parker as Turner, with Armie Hammer, Mark Boone Jr., Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis, Dwight Henry, Aja Naomi King, Esther Scott, Roger Guenveur Smith, Gabrielle Union, Penelope Ann Miller, and Jackie Earle Haley in supporting roles. Parker also petitioned financiers to invest in the film, ultimately getting an $8.5 million in production budget, and started filming in May 2015 in Georgia. The film's title is an ironic callback to the 1915 KKK-focused silent film of the same name.
The Birth of a Nation premiered in competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where Fox Searchlight Pictures bought worldwide rights to the film in a $17.5 million deal (at the time the largest deal at the festival), and won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. The film was theatrically released in the United States on October 7, 2016, and grossed $16 million, receiving positive reviews from critics, with praise for its directing, acting, soundtrack, and cinematography.
Because The Birth of a Nation attracted increased attention during its festival run, there was significant press coverage of a 1999 alleged rape that Parker and co-story writer Jean McGianni Celestin were accused of having committed, and the fact that the accuser committed suicide in 2012. While Parker was acquitted and Celestin was not retried after his conviction was overturned on appeal, the controversy surrounding the alleged rape and Parker's initial responses to the controversy cast a shadow over the film.
Plot
In 1809, on a plantation in Southampton County, Virginia, Nat Turner is a young slave boy. Due to limited food for their children, Nat's father, Isaac, ventures out one night to steal something for his son to eat. However, he is apprehended by a posse led by slave-catcher Raymond Cobb. When Cobb attempts to execute Isaac, he turns the tables, killing one member of the posse, and escapes. Upon returning home, Isaac informs his family of the incident and the need for his immediate departure. Before leaving, he shares a final conversation with Nat, emphasizing that he is "a child of God" with a purpose. When Cobb arrives and interrogates Isaac's family about his whereabouts, they remain silent. Benjamin Turner, the owner of the farm, intervenes and drives Cobb away before he turns violent.
Elizabeth Turner, Benjamin's wife, discovers Nat's basic reading skills and begins teaching him, primarily using the Bible. She even arranges for Nat to read Scripture during church gatherings. However, shortly before Benjamin's presumed death from tuberculosis, he instructs his wife to cease Nat's education and assign him to work as a farmhand. As an adult, Nat continues to toil in the cotton fields while also preaching and reading Scripture for his fellow slaves. Samuel Turner, Benjamin's son, inherits ownership of the plantation.
During a slave auction, Nat becomes enamored with Cherry, a female slave up for sale. He persuades Samuel to purchase her as a wedding gift for Samuel's sister, Catherine Turner. Nat and Cherry fall in love, marry, and have a daughter. Due to the deteriorating economic conditions in the South and the poor crop prices, many slave owners struggle to feed their slaves and fear potential revolts. Reverend Walthall proposes an arrangement to Samuel: if Samuel travels with Nat to various plantations, where Nat can preach to the slaves, they will receive substantial compensation from other plantation owners. The intention is to pacify the slaves and convince them that the Bible justifies their endurance of their circumstances. Samuel, in need of money, reluctantly agrees.
During their visits to different plantations, Nat and Samuel witness emaciated and desperate slaves, as well as instances of appalling mistreatment by their owners. Following the death of his grandmother, Nat resolves to rebel against the slaveholders. He holds a clandestine meeting with a select group of trusted fellow slaves, including a boy from another plantation, and prepares them for the uprising. Nat also confides in Cherry, who is still recovering from a severe beating, seeking her approval for the planned revolt.