To Be Watched For Its Importance As Well As Enjoyment

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2014)

While anyone who looks at my IMDb page will see I am a sucker for a film about African-Americans who overcome, this film was different.
12 YEARS A SLAVE, directed by the amazing Steve McQueen, is an important, powerful movie. There is simply no other way to say it. It is wonderfully crafted, beautifully acted, and stirring to watch.
But like many movies where there is tragedy or tragic-but-true history, this movie is not necessarily one to be watched for enjoyment. That is not to say you cannot get some enjoyment out of this movie - far from it. There were a few scenes where I just had to laugh, particularly in one comical sequence where Northrup beats his own master (that sounds mean, but the man's reaction is downright comical).
But when I say it is not one to watch for enjoyment, what I mean is, that is not this film's sole purpose. The film's purpose (as the filmmakers oft pointed out when they were receiving this film's 3 Oscars) is to tell the very real story of Solomon Northrup.
That being said, there are quite a number of scenes in this movie that are very hard to watch. As is often the case in movies where there are whites being cruel to blacks, more than once, I looked down at myself, uncomfortable in the skin I'm in (I'm white). I felt guilty for the actions of my ancestors.
Now, I realize that, in the end, evil is overcome. A scene at the end, where Solomon is finally liberated, particularly shows the victory over evil (aka the loathsome Mr. Epps, in Michael Fassbender's most easily hate able role yet).
All in all, this movie is stirring, important, powerful, sometimes hard to watch (and a bit unsatisfying at the end, but such is life), and altogether, one of the most amazing movies I've ever witnessed. Mature audiences will love it and cherish it for years to come.