10/9/2016 - Birth of a Nation (2016) - 5+/6-/10

Important yes, but the film-making was so heavy handed all over. A weird mixture of art house and almost-Grindhouse, but without the expectations or convictions of either. It tries to be the best of 12 Years A Slave and Django Unchained simultaneously, but it sulks as a pale ghost of either.

There are beautiful moments and, at times, points and unflinching gaze upon horrors that all should see & feel haunted by. Sadly, all nuance is lost, grand mythologizing film-making underdeveloped and the story telling on the whole is passionate but unremarkable.

Leaving aside the baggage of awards or rape allegations (disregarding whether that is right, just, or worthy), the film by itself is a cinematic sparkler - symbolizing much, especially in context of this nation's history, but it is pedestrian. It has flashes of emotion and gruesome reality but much of the time simply sizzles away, never providing the artistic bang that we crave. An ok film, but undeserving of the fanfare and aggrandizement. The topic is worthy and deserving, but righteous subject matter does not make it a “good film”.