One of 2013's best film examines the brutal harshness of southern slavery adapted from a true story

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 2015)

It strikes me that one of the best movies of last year was Tarantino's exploitation, revenge flick 'Django Unchained' revolving around slavery in a brutal yet stylized way. Arguably one of the best movies of this year '12 Years' is another brutal exploration of slavery in the pre-Civil War south yet it's brutality comes from the very realistic aspect of its presentation. The story surrounds a free black man living in upstate New York who gets duped, kidnapped and sold into slavery. From there the audience is continually presented with a myriad of archetypes illustrating the harsh reality of this institution that we as a nation allowed to exist and stain our soul for a hundreds of years from the establishment of the colonies through the birth of the nation. The film is simply shot allowing for the gravitas of what's occurring on the screen, the character interaction and the depth of the performances to truly sink in. The performances as a whole are impeccable and amazing to behold. To watch this and understand it is to imagine a world without hope; a world where men are not created equal; a world in this day and age seems foreign and strange although we still fought civil rights battles well into the 1960's and 70's. More than anything watching something like this gives true appreciation to those who fought so hard and so long and laid down their lives to bring us to a place where we could understand slavery for the abomination that it is.