12  YEARS A SLAVE  4.0***

 

      Director Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" will sail into the awards season with the wind at its back. An excellent cast, a sensational script, first-rate directing and a soundtrack ( Hans Zimmer) filled with gospel music all point to many nominations and probably awards. This is without doubt one of the best pictures of the year… a truly remarkable film! !

The story is based on the true experiences of a free black man, Soloman Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), married with children. More than 20 years before the Civil War, Soloman is seduced by promises of excellent money into leaving his home in Saratoga, NY, to journey to Washington DC. While slavery is a fact of American life at the time, and it is legal to own slaves in the Southern States, Soloman's life in New York is a universe away, until he wakes up in chains, is shipped to Louisiana and sold into slavery. He is  bought by the comparatively kindhearted Mr. Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) before being passed on to the sadistic landowner Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender)  The harsh treatment of slaves and the outrageous notion of human beings as property is the subject explored in this film.

Hollywood doesn’t do many films on slavery and Director McQueen is uncompromising in his approach to the subject. So, among other things, get used to the constant use of the “n” word. The camera gets up close as the audience watches the blood and flesh torn from the backs of slaves tied to whipping posts. There are moment-by-moment reminders to the slaves that they have no rights. The many ways in which slavery dehumanizes people are considered: a mother is torn from her children as the family is sold to different owners; a husband will never see his family again; horrid working conditions; educated blacks must hide their literacy from the owners; any form of defiance is met with strokes from the lash; every human comfort, every expression of human decency is denied to the slave for a lifetime; every form of cruelty directed at the slave is acceptable because they are property not fellow humans. I don't recall seeing such a graphic depiction of slavery in any other film.

 

The acting is phenomenal. Chiwetel Ejiofor is incredible as Solomon Northup, bringing a level of depth and emotion to the character that few actors could. He will be nominated for Oscar’s Best Actor  award and is probably the favorite to win. Michael Fassbender  will also be nominated for Best Supporting actor and stands a good chance of winning.. He's outstanding in his role as a slave owner, making the character completely despicable and also showing the severe mental and psychological problems that this person clearly had. The supporting cast all do excellent jobs as well including Lupita Nyong'o (She will be nominated for Best Supporting Actress), Benedict Cumberbatch,, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt.

The movie is not a pleasant ride. It will make people uncomfortable to see the cruelty and inhumanity. Director McQueen must have intended to create such violence and unrelenting malice so that we could feel the shame of slavery. This movie may be a harrowing experience, but it is an absolute crucial must-see. Not since Steven Spielberg's” Schindler's” List twenty years ago has a film shown history in such a haunting and unforgettable way. This film, while very brutal, is an incredible story of human spirit when it, as Solomon says, doesn't want to just survive, but to  live.

Rated R for violence/cruelty, some nudity and brief sexuality.

Clark

NOTE: Filmed entirely in Louisiana at 2 plantations and in New Orleans.