Intensely emotional

Rating: 9/10 (13 February 2014)

I had my doubts when the film first started. It was a little slow, the different time sequences were a little bit confusing but as the film went on, the plot line and imagery became vastly emotional and intense. The sheer brutality and bigotry portrayed in this film are so disgustingly real that the viewer wishes it wasn't true. The symbolism and cinematography are also beautiful. This is one of those films you can watch multiple times and get different perspectives out of it. Some of the scenes, I'll grant, are very hard to watch - kudos to McQueen for exploring this dark part of American history. Although I haven't read the memoir, I would like to be able to compare with the movie so that will be in store for future reading. Overall, a masterpiece - definitely worthy of best picture.