Author and award-winning creative campaign writer, Thembisa S. Mshaka (@PutYrDreams1st), shares her opinion about the “imperfect storm” that surrounds Nate Parker’s Birth of a Nation. Do you agree with her assessment? Share your thoughts in the comments section underneath.
There have been a number of conversations taking place simultaneously online about, Birth of a Nation, a hotly anticipated film and its creators. As someone who makes a living as a member of the media and as a longtime marketing and advertising campaign writer, I am keenly aware of how conversations can be sparked, driven and guided. I also have moderated conversations with a wide range of participant—from luminaries to high school students—and the conversation can turn on a dime, especially when the topic is incendiary.
Mix the true story of abolitionist rebel Nat Turner, the dramatization of that story by actor-turned-director, Nate Parker, and the powder keg of a rape case that had lain dormant for 17 years involving him and his screenwriting partner Jean Celestin, and we have got ourselves a raging forest fire. I have seen commenters catch selective amnesia over how broken the justice system is while having this conversation. I have seen the shaming of victims, ignorant to what constitutes consent or the vast spectrum of what can be a trigger for a survivor of rape or sexual assault.
I have seen, “Why [all] the hubbub now?” comments of Hoteppian conjecture from people derailing a film with a black director, black writers and an overwhelmingly black cast. What we have [in this mix] are Parker’s exoneration, Celestin’s conviction—that was eventually overturned—and a film that Fox Searchlight spent $17.5 million to acquire after its impressive showing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. I don’t deny that the milestone of the acquisition, the film and the story it tells are important. They absolutely are. As a black woman raised by Pan-Africanist parents who also happens to be a filmmaker, though, I mean, come on! I have been waiting for this film for decades. I wanted to be first in line for it and throw my money at it. But Nate Parker is a polarizing figure and the rollout of the film quick-froze my enthusiasm.
I wasn’t alone. Birth of a Nation by no means “tanked” by black feminists—which was another ignorant and incorrect strain of conversation moderated by people who are unable to see that sometimes, auteurs sabotage themselves. What tends to get overlooked by civilians, cinephiles and the casual moviegoer are the business contexts for a project’s success or missteps. I seek to illuminate them here, why? Because facts matter.
My assessment of what went down and what went wrong in Birth of a Nation is part one of my two-part feature for Okayplayer. Below, here are a few things regarding the first week underperformance of Birth of a Nation. My full, in-depth review of the film will be available for digestion and discussion next week.
The post One Player’s Opinion: An Imperfect Storm Swirls Around ‘Birth of a Nation’ appeared first on Okayplayer.
