RADIO.COM and V-103’s Kenny Burns had the pleasure of chatting it up with Nate Parker, the brains behind the film, American Skin. Not only did Nate write the film, but he also directed and starred in it as well.
The movie’s storyline follows war veteran, Lincoln Jefferson, played by Parker who seeks justice after police kill his unarmed son during a routine traffic stop. Written and filmed in 2019, before the most recent resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement, it unfortunately portrays both a very timely, yet long lasting issue in todays society, and he and Kenny talked all about it.
“We’re hitting a breaking point, where the status quo is just not acceptable anymore… As the late great Dr. King said, ‘we must be dissatisfied with our conditioning.’ We can’t just continue to say, well ‘it’s just the way it is,’" Parker said starting things off.
“Our kids aren’t safe, but ‘it’s just the way it is.’ I could walk outside tomorrow and it could be over, but ‘that’s just the way it is,’ I think we are demanding something very different.” Nate went on to note that the younger generation are “leading that charge" for that “something different” and he’s simply, “happy to add to the conversation.”
Kenny praised the film for being able to “capture the nuances today,” and admitted his 16-year-old son “bought all the way into it.” To which Nate admitted that’s exactly what he intended. Understanding the power of the youth, Nate purposefully chose to tell his story through a youthful lens.
“It is critical, I made the film for your 16-year-old, inspired by his experience and to encourage him that this future that we are looking at hoping to change is in his hands.” Figuratively of course.
Parker continued his thought, “what we’re seeing right now is the young people are standing in ways that we could only have dreamed of. They’re using their platforms, they’re using technology in way that we didn’t have access to when we were there age.” Which is exactly why he chose to have Jordin King played by Shane Paul McGhie as the protagonist leading the story.
Additionally, “getting the energy of now,” was just as important to Nate. Which is why scenes were shot with iPhones, GoPros, stick-up cams and dash cams, because for him “there’s no reason why we can’t tell our stories.”
He continued, “the gatekeepers are gone, we got YouTube,” and went on to confess that if the film wasn’t allowed to come out, he would have “put it on YouTube for free.” Why, he asked to answer his own question, “because we need it.”
Parker wrote the film as a “love letter and wake up call” for his nephew, who Nate gained custody of in order to help out his sister. Overnight, his nephew now had to deal with issues he was unfamiliar with, like riding his bike “through affluent neighborhood where people didn’t look like him.” Which led him to pose the question, “what do I do if I get pulled over by the police?”
Nate explained that he told Nate exactly what he should do in such a situation, and went on to insightfully note, “we traumatize our children just to exist and well tell them it’s okay. And then at the same time we tell them that they’re all powerful, that they can do anything. And it’s about time, I think, that we have this conversation, but within the context of eradicating this idea of their safety being compromised.”
Throughout the rest of their conversation Nate and Kenny went on to discuss the significance of military representation in the film. As well as the representation of generations and their experiences with “broken promises and broken dreams,” and how despite valiant efforts history seems to keep repeating itself. Which is why the story continues to need to be told.
Do yourself a favor and check out the full interview with Nate Parker below. The entire conversation is a must listen, so go ahead and press play.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
