You Can't Look Away

Rating: 10/10 (28 February 2014)

The genius of Steve McQueen in all his films is his willingness to not say cut. In Hunger and Shame, he forced us to watch unpleasant scenes for much longer than we would like and with 12 Years a Slave it is no different. The brutality and horror of the life of Solomon Northup is shown through his unyielding lens and as an audience we have no choice but to sit up and consume this harsh truth. The performance of Chiwetel Ejiofor is superlative and must catapult him to a very high plane indeed. The film is also indebted to, for my money, the best supporting actor and actress of the year in Lupita Nyong'o and Michael Fassbender. Sarah Paulson's turn as Mistress Epps is also very worthy of note. Despite Brad Pitt's late attempt to torpedo this deeply moving tale, 12 Years is a wonderful piece of work from McQueen and DoP Sean Bobbitt, whose searingly beautiful photography of the American South contrasts so powerfully with the actions of those that Northup encounters. A film not to be missed, for if you do not miss it you cannot ignore it.