The Birth of a Nation

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The Birth of a Nation

R

2016

1h 54m

History

Drama

Biography

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Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

269 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Nat Turner is an enslaved Baptist preacher who lives on a Virginia plantation owned by Samuel Turner. With rumors of insurrection in the air, a cleric convinces Samuel that Nate should sermonize to other slaves, thereby quelling any notions of an uprising. As Nate witnesses the horrific treatment of his fellow man, he realizes that he can no longer just stand by and preach. On Aug. 21, 1831, Turner's quest for justice and freedom leads to a violent and historic rebellion in Southampton County.

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Critics Consensus

The Birth of a Nation overpowers its narrative flaws and uneven execution through sheer conviction, rising on Nate Parker's assured direction and the strength of its vital message.

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Kristen Lopez

Culturess

Parker's film depicts an important event in American history through the eyes of an amateur passing a test in Film Production 101.

Nov 20, 2017

Full Review

Adam Nayman

Cinema Scope

It's very strange to watch painful verities staged in a way that diminishes their power under the guise of amplifying it. This is a film about deep-seated systems of oppression that feels tonally like a superhero origin myth.

Sep 28, 2017

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Soraya Nadia McDonald

Andscape

One of The Birth of a Nation's biggest weaknesses is that the film's female characters are given little consideration in comparison to their male counterparts.

Sep 26, 2017

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Today, directly echoing the racial tension and divides present in our country, The Birth of a Nation acquires the “timely” badge and earns the difficult processing time it requires of its audiences.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 16, 2024

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

From start to finish “Birth” keeps you locked in and focused. Parker never loses the potency of his subject matter.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 19, 2022

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Instead of inspiring his audience, Parker's desperation to achieve greatness proves transparent, while the quality of filmmaking does not equal his ambitions.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 11, 2022

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meeqwon U

Great movie. Would see it again

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/17/25

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Scott J

I’m only a movie fan, and a fan of learning about history, and real life. This part of American history is something that too many of us would like everyone to forget about, or never hear about. That’s just another injustice to the people who were stolen from their native lands or sold into slavery by their own rulers. Everyone should know this story of, Nat Turner.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

Pat B

The truth hurts… reviews talking about the film being bad because the producers, it was amateurish blah blah blah… it doesn’t matter, just like the Jewish say “never forget”. This is the same “we should never forget”

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/25

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Jack F

Terribly pretentious and makes cowards of its heroes….

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/28/25

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Jason S

Brilliant film about American Nat Turner and the rebellion.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/11/23

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Gareth v

Impressive directorial debut from Nate Parker (and a more than solid acting gig as well) in this brutal and compelling story.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/23/23

Full Review

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Nate Parker

Director

Nate Parker

Nat Turner

Armie Hammer

Samuel Turner

Mark Boone Junior

Reverend Zalthall

Colman Domingo

Hark

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Nancy Turner

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Synopsis

Nat Turner is an enslaved Baptist preacher who lives on a Virginia plantation owned by Samuel Turner. With rumors of insurrection in the air, a cleric convinces Samuel that Nate should sermonize to other slaves, thereby quelling any notions of an uprising. As Nate witnesses the horrific treatment of his fellow man, he realizes that he can no longer just stand by and preach. On Aug. 21, 1831, Turner's quest for justice and freedom leads to a violent and historic rebellion in Southampton County.

Director: Nate Parker
Producer: Nate Parker, Kevin Turen, Jason Michael Berman, Aaron L. Gilbert, Preston L. Holmes
Screenwriter: Nate Parker
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Mandalay Pictures, BRON Studios, Phantom Four
Rating: R (Some Brief Nudity|Disturbing Violent Content)
Genre: History, Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.8M
Runtime: 1h 54m

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