A harrowing story of a free man made slave

Rating: 7/10 (14 January 2014)

When Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an African American violin player, wakes up in a cell, bound and chained, he finds he has been swindled by two traveling business men. The abducted Solomon, a northern sate freeman, is shipped off to the south and sold into slavery to a plantation owner. In a prejudice land governed by the harsh realities of economics and beliefs in white superiority, no one wants to hear the truth behind Solomon's incarceration. His bond is passed over to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) - a master who has the reputation for little leniency towards his slaves. Solomon quickly learns it is dangerous to reveal his true identity. The movie traces the twelve years Solomon must endure this incarceration, away from a wife and children.
It certainly is a strong and powerful narrative, one made all the more harrowing by the fact that it is based on a true story and works well as a reminder of our not so distant past. Chiwetel Ejiofor puts in a strong performance as the suffering Solomon and the director, Steve McQueen, is not afraid to let shots linger to create ambiance and feeling. It is a movie that certainly checks all the boxes for the Best Picture award it picked up in both the Oscars and Golden Globes.
For me though, in many ways 12 Years a Slave has very little to offer past being an interesting and intense narrative. I felt I've seen this theme before, played out in other movies. Yes, the movie is challenging in so far as it exposes some of the sadistic brutalities of our human condition, but I do like a movie that truly makes me look at a subject matter, physical or metaphysical, in a new light. 12 Years a Slave is a straight movie which tells a story that at best, can only reaffirm those beliefs and condemnations I already hold! I know that will probably prove a crowd pleaser for the mass, but to me, McQueen's other works (Shame and Hunger), perhaps delve deeper into the human psyche in so far as they ask visceral questions about ourselves through lead characters of greater ambivalence. I guess what I mean is, I felt strangely removed from the Solomon character, as if I could share in his indignation without ever having to get to know him truly.
That's not to say that 12 Years a Slave is not a fine piece of work and cannot hold a mirror up to expose the contradictions of the human soul in its own right. The villain, Michael Fassbender as the troubled master, Edwin Epps, is perhaps the most interesting and intense character. We get to see this conflicted man exposed though the relationships with his jealous and spiteful wife, his slave girl mistress, his twisted interpretations of bible and God, and his contempt, perhaps brought about through his own insecurities, for Solomon. A jigsaw of a man, who is the personification of injustice within a disquieted society struggling in conscience, in a changing world.
If you are one that enjoys a powerful and intense narrative, without distracting twists or meandering sub-plots, than this will be an enjoyable watch.