An uncensored view of the horrors of slavery.

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2017)

12 Years a Slave tells the story of Solomon Northup- a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The horrors that Northup faced once he arrived at the plantation were hard to watch, to say the least. The dehumanization and brutality that was endured by so many is heartbreaking to witness. Many slaves were beaten, raped, hung, and essentially stripped of all of their human rights. They were not even given the right to their own name or children. Though I've read about slave conditions in history classes many times, this movie made me realize that I haven't even begun to understand the extent of what happened during this period of history.
12 Years a Slave provides an excellent insight into what slaves had to endure on a daily basis. Though it's difficult to watch, it's necessary for us to try to understand what occurred so we can try to prevent an atrocity such as this from ever happening again.