Fox Searchlight, the studio behind the movie, made a statement last week: “Fox Searchlight is aware of the incident that occurred while Nate Parker was at Penn State”.
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A lot of people aren’t buying what Parker is selling, though.
“I have changed so much since 19”. I immediately gave him props because of the the importance of adding this offering to the American cinematic tapestry. In a 20-minute span, we laughed, talked world matters and discussed the importance of his work and worldview.
The controversy grew this week with the release of two more articles: the aforementioned The Daily Beast piece and another Variety article featuring an interview with the accuser’s brother.
Last week it was revealed that Parker, and Birth of Nation writer Jean Celestin, were accused of raping a young woman while attending Penn State in 1999 after a night of drinking during an interview with Variety. Both of the accused were on the Nittany Lions wrestling team.
A jury acquitted Parker of the charges, in part because of testimony that he had consensual sex with the victim prior to the incident. Celestin later appealed the charges and was granted a new trial, but it was eventually dropped.
The entire scenario was disgusting to read of, and I can only guess at what the victim was dealing with. “She became detached from reality”, her brother, identified as Johnny, told Variety. The article also reported that she killed herself in 2012.
While there is no actual proof that she committed suicide because of the trial and the encounter, her brother thinks Birth of a Nation shouldn’t be so celebrated.
Parker’s latest statement still falls short. “I know what she would’ve said”, she said to the New York Times. And while he wanted to avoid turning a blind eye toward “the pain she endured” during and after the incident’s trial, Parker maintained that he is innocent. While continuing to maintain that his sexual encounter with the woman that night 17 years ago was consensual, he spoke of regret for not showing more empathy for her at the time.
“There is morality; no-one who calls himself a man of faith should even be in that situation”. On Facebook he writes, “I understand why so many are concerned and rightfully have questions”.
“I see now that I may not have shown enough empathy even as I fought to clear my name”, he wrote. “Empathy for the young woman and empathy for the seriousness of the situation I put myself and others in”, he continued. But there are other family members who have come forward and released statements to the contrary of that view, including one from the victim’s sister imploring other victims to come forward.
While I’m sure some reporter is now digging thru old cases and working the phones to find the woman at the center of this case, I don’t need to hear her side.
She subsequently sued Penn State and won an out-of-court settlement, but she later ended her own life in 2012 at the age of 30. Opinion now fills the space that should have been occupied by justice and closure.
Parker, whose latest project, Birth of a Nation, is due October 7, was referring to the 1999 rape charges filed against him and co-writer Jean McGianni Celestin when they were roommates and wrestling teammates at Penn State.
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As Parker said, he has never tried to hide from what he has referred to as “the painful moment in my life”. It was criticized that he brought his six-year-old daughter to the Variety interview, and invited Deadline to his home, scattered with “remnants of the five daughters who live with him all around”. “I want women to stand up, to speak out when they feel violated, in every degree, as I prepare to take my own daughter to college”, he said. Do you have any belief that Fox Searchlight knew about this in January when they bought the film for a record Sundance sale price?
