Review 327: 12 Years a Slave

O.K. guys I understand, I really do. 12 Years a Slave is indeed an almost unwatchable film, but it's important, masterful almost beautiful film making, an almost flawless look at slavery and possibly Steve McQueen's best film.

Warning: Viewers who up until this point have had a mostly happy upbringing or still have a soul may find the description of these events extremely unsettling. However I saw the movie so believe me when I say I understand how you feel. O.K. you've been warned, here goes.

Based on the memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, the film follows Soloman Northup himself (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man of colour who's kidnapped, sold into slavery and works on plantations in Louisiana for 12 whole years before he is released.

The plot is just extraordinary, it tells the almost downcast but at the same time hopeful story of one man, a man who endured a lot of pain and suffering that no one today could imagine enduring, I certainly couldn't endure 12 years of pain and suffering, and yet somehow managed to keep hold of his sanity. And thats what this movie is all about: As well as being an intense, brutal movie about slavery, it's a movie about the human spirt, hope, courage and above all how cruel we as human beings can be to each other.

The human spirit: A huge majority of 12 Years a Slave revolves around Solomon Northup showing us how the human spirit refuses to break and how it relies on optimism and faith to get out of the situation alive. The strength of character refuses to be defeated. Solomon Northup, despite being tortured and beaten, refused to let go of his hope and continued to believe in a optimistic future. Which makes him a figure loads of people can look up to and respect.

Hope: Solomon Northup stayed hopeful during his 12 Years of Slavery that someone would set him free.

Courage: I cannot imagine any other man who dealt with being a slave more bravely than Solomon Northup. he was so brave, he survived 12 Years of pain and slavery. Some I can't imagine anyone enduring.

How cruel we as human beings can be to each other: In those days, all these coloured people worked on plantations and their masters treated them so badly, they became too scared to revolt and they lost the will to live. Solomon however did not and he developed this inner resilience that ultimately helped him survive 12 Years of being a slave.

Director Steve McQueen's direction is precise and intense, the score by Hans Zimmer is heartbreaking and beautiful (will some record company please release a score album?), the cinematography is wonderful, the production design is brilliant, the costumes are fantastic, the make up is rich, the scenery is breathtaking, the locations are stunning, the sound effects are deafening, the props are well crafted and the ending was superb.

The acting is also mesmerising, though the star performers have to be Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'O.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is wonderful as Solomon Northup, he does an amazing job at conveying the confusion, anger and sadness Solomon Northup had to go through as he struggles to survive, reclaim his freedom and keep what little is left of his dignity in the deep south.

Michael Fassbender is absolutely terrifying as Master Edwin Epps, the plantation owner who Solomon ends up working for, he leads a very dysfunctional life with being in love with the slave girl, Patsey (Lupita Nyong'O) whilst at the same time having a wife Mistress Epps (Sarah Paulson), he's incredibly sadistic and capable of enormous cruelty.
You stare open mouthed at his performance, it's so scary he seemed like he was playing a horror movie villain.

Lupita Nyong'O is heartbreaking as Patsey, the slave girl, she is the object of Edwin Epps' affection and cruelty and he takes it out on her and she is deeply saddened and emotionally scared by this treatment - and so are we. In some ways I'd say she's the polar of Solomon Northup, whereas Solomon is able to persist and keep his faith, Patsey is the verge of killing herself as she feels she has nothing left to live for. But she is also in love with Solomon as he is the only person who shows her any kindness.

Among the smaller bit parts in the film is Benedict Cumberbatch as Williams Prince Ford, he is only plantation owner during Solomon's 12 Years of Slavery who shows him any kindness, he's well aware of the cruelty and he's tortured by his own self awareness and he has a care for human beings as souls and children of God.

Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti and Alfre Woodard also appear the film in limited but pivotal roles as characters who have a profound impact on Solomon's journey, with Paulson in particular giving an appropriately chilling performance as the wife of Edwin Epps.

12 Years a Slave will probably go down in film history as the Citizen Kane of Slave movies, 5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.