Absorbing, brutal and moving in a detached and visually beautiful way

Rating: Null/10 (12 January 2014)

A few years ago now, Mel Gibson made Passion of the Christ; a film which essentially is one long tale of suffering of Jesus on his way to the cross. It was a film that I found to be as vacuous as pornography and an ordeal to sit through because I lost all feeling for the character as he became little more than the subject for violence. I mention this because I worried that this film would be the same as it is very much an issue film and much has been written about how numbing it is in terms of the content. I decided to watch it anyway, mainly because of the British involvement in the film – a lot of talent here, not least of which is director Steve McQueen.
The story is based on the true story of a free man kidnapped into slavery. As a story it is one of interest but mainly it provides a central tangible point for the audience to identify with and to follow. It also gives us the oft-used narrative device of a character seeing things for the first time as we are (see also the rookie cop etc). In this way it works very well because we never really get lost in the violence or brutality of the film and, despite the claims of some, it never made me numb to it and it never felt like it was being overdone for the sake of it – if anything it builds very well so it get progressively harder to process. The film shows the extent of the system much better than just a series of beatings; it shows that even "good" men are part of it, it shows that the options are zero and it shows that it is a world that has no edges – even though we know that Solomon is just a matter of distance from his rightful freedom, we never really feel that way at all because it is never escaping one place or one person.
The story is well told to keep close to Solomon while also letting us see the reality and McQueen is excellent as director in how he shows it. In Hunger and Shame he sits back from his subjects in a rather detached but invasion way. It is hard to describe but long, wide shots leave us to observe simple scenes and often the simpler they are the more telling – as Solomon hangs while others go about their business, we understand the reality of this world and how utterly trapped everyone is – again, it is a system, this is just how it works. The relationship with Bobbitt continues to pay dividends because visually the film is stunning, great colors and great shots whether they be unflinching close-ups or wide and long. The use of music is good too – there is no sentimentality to it and when it is used it is subtle. This is not a film that overdoes the violence to hype it, but nor is a film that pulls on the heartstrings – it feels very factual and very realistic within the context of the system, so while the audience flinch at a particular brutal scene, the film itself does not – because this is how it is in the world we are in.
The cast give very good performances in support of this goal, so while some of them are basic roles, the people give good presence and don't ham it up. In particular Ejiofor gets the balance right, his desperation and horror is pushed down as much as he can because of how the system he is in works, but he engages and moves throughout. Fassbender likewise walks the line – he is never a pantomime villain but he is still cruel and hateful. Supporting roles from Nyong'o, Dano, Williams and many others is roundly very good with only one misstep which is Pitt, which is a shame – his face is almost too famous and breaks the ensemble feel, plus the virtue of his character also makes his casting in that specific role seem a little bit like a vanity casting for a producer. This is a minor thing though, since he himself is not bad, but anyway the rest of the cast are convincing and engaging.
12 Years a Slave looks like it will be just another Oscar-baiting slavery film, but it is much better than that to be fair the awards hype sullies it a little bit. It is absorbing and brutal in its convincing and detached portrayal of this world, complete with strong performances it is a memorable experience and very well made film.