12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Empire 301 (2014): #119
Director: Steve McQueen
Screenwriter: John Ridley

12 Years a Slave is an emotional powerhouse of a film. The film that swept up at the Oscars this year is for the most part a harrowing experience to sit through, as we follow the true story of Solomon Northup, a black freeman tricked into 12 years of slavery between 1841 and 1853. The film is supported by an exceptionally strong cast held together by the performance of a lifetime given by Chiwetel Ejiofor who in my opinion should have walked the Academy Award for best actor. The film is unflinching in its depiction of the systemic and organised racism and slavery of the time, and throughout the camera shots are crisp and occasionally disturbingly beautiful, as the beauty of the landscapes contrasts with the horrific acts taking place there.

The movie is also an extremely important one, and tackles the cruelty of slavery far more directly than the majority of films, mainly by the immersive  positioning of the camera that allows us to view the brutal whippings and torture suffered from Solomon's point of view. It feels at times, like a personal affront on the watcher, and it is impossible not to boil over with rage at his captors. Besides Ejiofor, none of the cast are present for the whole movie, and it is very much Solomon's personal odyssey. Lupita Nyong'o, who won an Oscar for her performance as Patsey in her first feature film, first appears only halfway through the film, as does the main antagonist, Michael Fassbender playing an alcoholic slave owner who forces himself upon Patsey and then punishes her for it. Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch and Sarah Paulson also stand out in a star studded cast and give magnificent performances

The one slight criticism I have with this film, is the saviour figure of Brad Pitt, who is only introduced twenty minutes before the end and acts as a Deus Ex Machina figure responsible for Solomon's rescue. Pitt, who produced the film doesn't give a bad performance, but his character is so heroic that he feels slightly fake when contrasted with the people around him. The final half hour also feels slightly oddly paced, and Solomon's eventual redemption feels a tad rushed as the film reaches its end, especially when compared to a film with similar themes and setting, The Shawshank Redemption. There is no saviour figure  in the ending of that film. However, when we reach the end it is impossible not to be moved and as the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack plays, ending one of the best acting performances of all time by Ejiofor, who does more with his eyes than most actors can in an entire monlogue.

4 ½/5