An unapologetic, impassioned biopic, The Birth Of A Nation begins quietly but ends in a howl of rage. It might not be perfect, but it’s powerful enough to stay with you.
The more you think about it, the quicker it falls to pieces.
Powerful and...disturbing.
Nate Parker’s heartfelt account of Nat Turner, the slave who led a rebellion in 1830s Virginia, is conventionally paced but achieves a dark and sinuous poetry.
Powerful, violent and cliched.
Birth Of A Nation seems a little too fond of sadistic violence and suffering and works too hard to establish Turner as a messiah figure. But it has some powerful, striking moments.
Despite its worthy intentions, Nate Parker’s directorial debut recounting the true history of a slave rebellion falls into cliche.
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Tuesday December 27, 2016, until Thursday January 5, 2017. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com
macrobert, Stirling from Friday January 6, 2017, until Sunday January 8, 2017. More info: www.macrobert.org