Brilliant yet disturbing

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2019)

Steve McQueen manages to create an unforgettable depiction of slavery in the 19th century with his latest work,12 Years A Slave.
The film's harrowing and emotional scenes makes for difficult viewing,however it is perhaps the first film to not shy away from portraying slavery in its pure,unadulterated form of atrocity and this is why the film is a unique,powerful experience.
Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers an utterly brilliant performance as the musician Solomon Northup,who was tricked into abduction, and consequently slavery.Ejiofor portrays the emotion and despondence of Northup to perfection,yet he always manages to maintain a sense of nobility,even though he is enduring an agnosising plight.In moments where he feels he cannot speak due to his position as a slave,Ejifor's uses his facial expressions to illustrate the anguish and pain of his ordeal,leaving an indelible effect on the audience of his sorrow and suffering.
Michael Fassbender gives a great performance as Edwynn Epps,the slaver of Northup.Fassbender embodies the character of Epps,and his internal struggle with sanity that drives him to barbarous cruelty and acts of random sadism, is portrayed by his pure malovence that leaves the audience terrified and disgusted.
Perhaps the most astonishing work by a actor/actress accomplished in this masterpiece is by Lupito Nyong'o. The young talent is the emotional core of the film;she displays the savagery of the slaves' ordeal with her anger and despair that rocks the audience to their core.
Furthermore,the cinematography achieved by Sean Bobbit is exquisite,creating a stark juxtaposition between the wondrous beauty of the natural world and the ugliness of humanity.
McQueen has produced a film that accurately depicts the history of enslavement,while creating a cinematic work of art that is greatly powerful and will leave a lasting effect on audiences for years to come.