Over the summer, Nate Parker, the Director of the critically-acclaimed period-drama, “The Birth of a Nation,” has come under fire by the public after a 17-year-old rape allegation has resurfaced.

I do not know everything about the situation, and I won’t not go too far into detail. I have read a bunch of articles about the case, or at least enough to form my own opinion on the situation.

In short, after hearing about Parker’s rape allegation, I still want to and will see “The Birth of a Nation” upon its release October 7. Why?

Well, for one, I personally do not feel that I can be for nor against the film because I do not have enough information on the night the alleged raping occurred, and considering that I do not know the parties involved, I don’t think I or anyone else ever will.

Secondly, even though I do understand how rigged our justice system is, especially when it comes to college athletes (Parker was a wrestler at Penn. State at the time), Parker was found not guilty. Lastly, the story of Nat Turner, and the way in which it is supposedly being portrayed on screen is very important for our society to witness.

Not only has this film received almost only positive reviews from critics, but this film received both the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and U.S. Grand Jury Prize. Being the biggest highlight of Sundance in January, Fox Searchlight Pictures bought worldwide film rights for $17.5 million, which is the largest deal at the film festival since its beginnings.

Simply put, this film is powerful, informative and necessary. As mentioned earlier, the film’s plot loosely follows the life of Nat Turner, a preacher and slave, who led a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia in 1831.

Avid moviegoers may also recognize that the 2016 film “The Birth of a Nation” is a play on the 1915 American silent drama film of the same title. The 1915 film is adapted from the novel and play “The Clansman,” and today it is praised for its cinematography, and greatly ridiculed for the countless historical inaccuracies such as, President Abraham Lincoln having ties to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Furthermore, the 1915 film pretty much depicts African-American men (some were played by white men in blackface) as unintelligent and sexually aggressive towards white women, and the KKK as a heroic group.

With all of that being said, I believe that it is time for America to see a quality film about the period of slavery in which a slave actually leads the rebellion. No cheeky comedy to appease the uncomfortable, and a historically rich film that tells the story of Nat Turner.

I acknowledge the rape allegation, and I certainly understand that the issue of rape culture is something that needs to be addressed, discussed and handled immediately, especially on American college campuses, but I want to urge everyone to do their own research on the situation and come up with your own opinion on the details of the case.

Do not blindly follow the movement of boycotting this film, or any movement for that matter. I do not even want you to just read this piece and go with what I say. Do your own research, and form your own objective opinion.