A New, Great American Film

Rating: 9/10 (10 November 2013)

12 Years a Slave. WOW. Brilliant, powerful, while also being incredibly difficult to watch. I've never felt so deeply, watching a film. It takes you to the deepest, darkest depths of human suffering. But this really happened. This isn't some outlandish exaggeration of the past. I'm not going to lie: I cried, like, more than once.
For those who appreciate such things, it's technically brilliant as well. The directing, the acting, the cinematography, the score. Unbelievable. What a cast! It's going to win so many eff-ing awards. Just off the top of my head, best picture, best director, best actor (Chiwetel Ejiofor - superb), best adapted screen play, maybe best supporting actor (Michael Fassbender), maybe supporting actress (Lupita Nyong'o), maybe best cinematography and score. The record for most Oscars for a single film is 11 (shared by Ben Hur, Titanic, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King). I will be interested to see if 12 Years a Slave makes a run at that.
This isn't just the best movie of the year, it's one of the best movies I've ever seen. And I have a hard time imagining myself watching it again anytime soon due to the sobering imagery. I could go on and on, but I think people should just see it.