12 Years a Slave - The Schindler's List of Slavery

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2013)

It has been 16 hours since the end credits of 12 Years a Slave started scrolling, and I have yet to recuperate from this miraculous, horrifying, brutal film. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried several times throughout this movie, and every time I think about Solomon's story I start to sniffle a little bit. This film is a masterpiece. There's no other word to describe it. Simply a masterpiece. Not only is it the best film of the year, but it's arguably one of the best films ever made. Right up there with Schindler's LIst. The way this story is told, the brutality of it all, is mortifying. And yet, despite all the horror that is portrayed on the screen, I can call this film beautiful. It was so well shot, so well edited, so well acted, so well directed...it was simply, in a word, flawless. As an avid film-goer, I often watch films like this analytically and try to tear them apart and find every flaw I can. But I couldn't find one single flaw with this film. Some may argue that some shots lasted too long, but no. These shots were just meant to make you feel like an accomplice. For example, there is an excruciatingly long scene (I say excruciatingly not because it's bad, but because it's hard to watch), where Solomon is hung from a tree with his toes barely touching the ground, and if his feet leave the ground, you know he will choke and die. We see his struggle from every perspective. Close up, wide, medium, POV, OTS, everything. And every time, in the background, we see people meandering by, as if this were just a normal day on the plantation. People would argue that this scene could have been cut, but I say no. It had to be that long, because it makes you as a modern viewer want to jump up and help him, even though you know you can't do anything. That's what being on a plantation felt like. You wanted to help him, but you knew that wouldn't do anything. 12 Years a Slave is not for the faint of heart. It's a horrifying testament to what America once was, and how man used to treat fellow man. I would advise you to bring a tissue box and prepare to weep several times. It's easily the best film of the year and most definitely the Schindler's List of our generation.