Death of a Nation is an explosive documentary, filled with history, archival footage, contemporary political comments, and enough TNT to anger some viewers and stimulate others into action. Based on two books written by Dinesh D’Souza, namely The Big Lie and Death of a Nation, the film attempts to show how today’s progressive Democrats fall back to a bygone era of socialism and government control, rather than the Republicans they blame for today’s contemporary problems and issues.
The film opens with a re-enactment of Hitler and his companion taking their own lives as his Nazi empire had fallen. Then it continues with unforgettable footage─George Clooney laughing at the remote possibility that Donald Trump could ever win a presidential election, and talk show hosts and major news network commentators literally scoffing at the idea that Trump could win the election. Several news clips make it clear that many in the liberal media were certain that Hillary Clinton would be the next U.S. president. When Trump thunders comments like, “We’ll make America safe again!” or “We’ll make America great again!” there are those that wildly cheer him on and others that mock him. The division in our great country is clearly in evidence and the drawn lines in the sand are just as obvious.
Going back to the time of President Lincoln, D’Souza makes the distinction that it was Lincoln, as the first Republican president of the United States, who cared about freedom and rights and the right to worship God as one would choose. He believed slavery was wrong because no man should toil to make another rich and that the racism involved in slavery was equally wrong. His idea that all men are created equal was traced back to our founding fathers. And while white supremacy movements of today are said to be Trump-inspired, one clip shows Trump mentioning how proud he is that unemployment among African-Americans is the lowest it has ever been in this country. D’Souza’s interviews and video footage portray a different President Trump than liberal progressives are suggesting.
Not far into the film, several liberals are angry that Trump won the election, and when recounts are insisted upon, Trump’s lead actually increased. Next, the film shows those that cry for impeachment proceedings and many hold “hate” rallies against Trump. In one vivid and memorable scene, a person holds up a bloody head of Donald Trump, an obvious symbol of effigy. D’Souza is an effective interviewer as he talks to such controversial figures as white supremacist Richard Spencer. D’Souza pointedly asks him what he believes and how much he disagrees with Trump’s philosophies. When Spencer admits that he feels he personally has a lot in common with Malcom X; the point is well made that he believes that races should stick with their own.
This dynamic documentary is filled with important lessons on history─World War 2, the beliefs of former presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. D’Souza compares many of President Trump’s beliefs to those of Reagan, a belief in free-market enterprise, the freedom of worship, and the conservative values on which the founding fathers established this great country. Recent government changes including health care reform are carefully examined. Is the government taking more control over the people rather than remembering it is a government by the people, for the people, and of the people? Is it true that much of what has happened in this country has happened before? Is it true that President Trump finds himself in a position today that President Lincoln once did? One of the most powerful images in the entire film is that of Sophie Scholl, a young woman who spread the good news of the gospel during the Nazi regime, who was beheaded because she dared to stand up to Hitler and the Third Reich.
The Dove Take
This movie is unforgettable! Its images will long be burned in your brain─images of concentration camps, gas ovens, dictators and tyrants, and of people like Abraham Lincoln and Sophie Scholl, who wanted to give the country back to the people. It is guaranteed that you will have a reaction in one form or another to this movie. From a Christian perspective, it is a strong imperative and a reminder to continue to spread the liberating news of the gospel. Due to the use of some language and violent scenes (but none that is gratuitous) we are awarding this powerful and gripping film our Faith-Friendly 12+ Seal. Make no mistake about it─this movie will cause you to reflect as a viewer, and to recommit to your beliefs. It is that powerful.
