Nate Parker Armie Hammer Aja Naomi King Dwight Henry
The real story and this dramatization of Nat Turner is truly sad
from start to finish, although many have gained inspiration from his commitment
and sacrifice for enslaved blacks.
In this story, the child Nat has marks on his body that are believed by
the slaves to indicate he would be a prophet; and indeed he did become
religious, and after the mistress of the house and mother of his playmate
taught him to read, he began a ministry of sorts, in addition to his slave
duties.
Nat (Parker) and his family serve a relatively
kind white family, the Turners, with Nat’s playmate Sam (Hammer) eventually
becoming the master of the plantation.
When we see how they play together as boys (when it’s implied that Nat
is smarter than Sam), and then Nat’s subservience to Sam in adulthood, it’s
clear how the relationship is influenced by the slave culture.
Nevertheless, everything seems to be going
smoothly when Nat talks Sam into buying a wild young female slave called Cherry
(King) who, after his mother and grandmother clean her up and teach her enough
to be a house slave, turns out to be beautiful. Nat falls in love with her, and they marry and have a child.
Sam’s plantation begins to run into trouble
during a drought, as are many plantations in the area, and under these
conditions, masters begin to tighten the reins on their slaves, which, in turn,
creates a murmuring of rebelliousness.
The always nervous and calculating local pastor suggests that Sam take
his slave around to the different plantations for “religious services.” They will pay Sam, which will help
Sam’s finances, and Nat can “preach” to the slaves about obeying their masters. Nat goes along with this until he observes
unspeakable treatment of slaves at some plantations. Soon, he becomes a master of the double entendre, imparting
messages that his fellow slaves interpret one way and the masters another.
Eventually, there is a major rebellion led by
Nat Turner, who fervently and sincerely believes God is on his side, having
given Nat signs to lead an uprising.
The rest is history, and a very sad one too, unless one sees this as a
turning point in American history when the custom of slavery is finally held
under scrutiny.
Nate Parker, writer/director/producer, has
created a compelling story that won both the Audience Award and Grand Jury
Prize at the Sundance Film Festival where it premiered. The Prize given was accompanied by the
statement: "In the words of the recently and dearly departed
Alan Rickman, 'The more we're governed by idiots and have no control over our
destinies, the more we need to tell stories to each other about who we are, why
we are, where we come from, and what might be possible.’”
The story told here does not flinch from
“telling it like it [was]”, as we see horrifying torments and injustice wreaked
upon the slaves. I hope it
fulfills its intended purpose, which is to heighten our awareness of our
history and learn from it.
However, I’m unsure about whether showing such cruelty makes all viewers
want to be better. The film could
prompt good discussions about whether retaliating violence with violence is the
best way to go, versus the Ghandi approach of peaceful protest.
Parker is gifted as an actor (Beyond the lights, Red Tails, Ain’t Them
Bodies Saints, Arbitrage), and here he shows considerable talent as a
writer/director/producer. The
story moves smoothly and coherently, and he has chosen an excellent cast and
crew. Henry Jackman’s music has
soul in scoring all the scenes, and Elliot Davis’ cinematography is poetic in
capturing the mood and trauma that we witness. Aja Naomi King as Nat’s “wild one” and beautiful, honorable
wife is already gathering praise for her work here after playing in numerous television
roles. Armie Hammer is adept at
playing a weak character not up to the job of running a business and countering
the ugly pressures he faces, and must turn to drink to prop himself up.
I am aware of the recent news about an incident
in Nate Parker’s life, which has detracted from the acclaim of this film. Because I do not know him or all the
facts of the case, I evaluated his film on its own merits without regard to his
personal history.
A graphic rendition of the Nat Turner
story in all its horror.
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