12 Years a Slave

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is 12 Years a Slave.

Directed by Steve McQueen.

Written by John Ridley.

Based on the book - "Twelve Years a Slave" written by Solomon Northup.

Review #233

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

Run Time: 134 min

Hulk Spoils Hollywood Podcast Page

Cast

Chiwetel Ejiofor...Solomon Northup

Kelsey Scott...Anne Northup

Quvenzhané Wallis...Margaret Northup

Cameron Zeigler...Alonzo Northup

Scoot McNairy...Brown

Taran Killam...Hamilton

Christopher Berry...Burch

Bill Camp...Radburn

Adepero Oduye...Eliza

Michael K. Williams...Robert (as Michael Kenneth Williams)

Rob Steinberg...Parker

Paul Giamatti...Freeman

Benedict Cumberbatch...Ford

Paul Dano...Tibeats

Michael Fassbender...Edwin Epps

Sarah Paulson...Mistress Epps

Lupita Nyong'o...Patsey

Alfre Woodard...Mistress Shaw

Garret Dillahunt...Armsby

Brad Pitt...Bass

Steve McQueen is on a roll. Coming off the heels of his mega drama Shame. He follows up with a period piece that deals with the most deplorable act in human history. Slavery is in a word detestable but what happens in this film is quite possibly worse.

Plot

In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

There are so many things about this film that make it exceptional. Performances. Direction. Writing. That being said the one thing that stayed with me after leaving the theater was the undeniable reality that this film is not fiction. Watching Solomon Northup live his life with his family in peace and most importantly in acceptance as an equal, suddenly be taken away to live as a slave was just heartbreaking. Not to mention ANGER inducing. The utter arrogance and entitlement of these racist animals to just kidnap and sell people into servitude was beyond appalling. It was extremely tough to watch Solomon's journey from riches to rags.

Of course this comes across brilliantly by the performance of the film's lead. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a very good actor who has come on the scene with a vengeance. His portrayal of Northup here is both demoralizing and uplifting. The man is educated and well versed in the way of the world. His sophistication comes through before his abduction. As a slave he maintains his dignity any form he could which I felt while watching this film was the only way he was able to preserve his sanity and his life. The film goes through the 12 years he was living as a slave and in that time you saw the progression from one master to the other.

It's that moment where the film both sours and shines.

About midway between acts two and three. 12 Years a Slave dives into very rough waters. Northup is sold to a very maniacal man played by Michael Fassbender. Fassbender is fastly becoming a McQueen muse. After directing him in Shame. He immediately cast him in this film before the production was even announced. The dynamic between Fassbender and Ejiorfor was combustible. Northup did his best to keep his head down but couldn't avoid the immense disdain Fassbender's Epps had for him. This became the crux of the film prior to it's conclusion.

Epps spends many days and nights making Northup's life a living hell in pursuit of breaking him. Solomon does what he can to keep that from happening. The back and forth was tense to watch and in the end Epps has his moment and it's in that moment where I felt that Northup was going to lose it all. Until a chance encounter with a stranger working on Epps' property changes everything and everyone the rest of the way.
I haven't read the book that this film is based on. However, it's pretty obvious how it ends. Having said that there is a moment in the film where Ejiofor's performance stands out and he doesn't utter a syllable. It's the scene pictured above and it expresses Northup's out and out despair. McQueen frames this scene with so much angst and emotion behind the backdrop of a beautiful sunny day and the soft sounds of birds singing behind him. It was the perfect balance between gorgeous and grotesque. I really wish I could explain more about this scene. I'll just add that if and when Ejiofor is nominated for Best Actor this year. This moment in the film sells his performance better than any line of dialogue that was written for him.

The rest of the cast was top notch. Highlighted by the actress to the left. Her name is Lupita Nyong'o and she plays Patsey. Her performance was equally brilliant and depending on your feelings about this movie steals the show. I for one did not feel that way. Not because she wasn't any good. Far from that. It's mainly because the film is driven by Northup because it's his story so the emphasis must be put on him. McQueen however does make the case that this film could have been made from Patsey's point of view. Her journey and struggles were on par if not tougher than Northup's.

This is what makes McQueen such a good film maker.

He knows how to balance the weight of the strongest characters in his films. He's done that in all the feature films he's directed. It's a tricky tactic especially when you're dealing with a story that is centrally focused through one person. This film clearly does that and then finds a way to share the exploits of the other slaves and their masters. This could be a byproduct of Northup's book having detailed his experience as a slave. Regardless, McQueen does a great job giving Northup a chance to breathe. His pacing is a bit slow at times but it's designed to give us a chance to breathe as well.

All of this comes to a head when Northup is finally released and it was as uplifting a moment as there could be in a film. As Solomon embraces the man who's come from New York to get him you can see the release of emotions seeping out of him. All those years of torture both physical and mental had taken it's toll on him. Seeing him sit in that carriage on his way home was superbly rewarding. I know I mentioned the moment where I felt that Ejiofor nails his Oscar nomination but a strong case can be made when he's reunited with his family. That scene plays with so much emotion and energy yet through it's rejoicing qualities it's deliberate. Ejiofor gives you so much in that moment that he doesn't have to say a word but when he does, he apologizes to his family for being away so long.

If that doesn't break your soul. Nothing will.

This film is a serious contender for several Academy Awards including the big ones. Who knows what will happen between now and Oscar time. All I do know is that I was glad I saw this film and you will be too.

On the 5 star scale. 12 Years a Slave gets the full house. 5 stars with a "Worth Every Penny!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"