Good film

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2014)

As a non-American, I find it really interesting that so many reviewers here are uncomfortable with the explicit violence and nastiness portrayed in this film. How could it possibly be true? They seem to say. Surely Americans have never been that vicious and uncaring? But for hundreds of years, some of them were, and this film depicts it well. It's not a pleasant film but it does hold your attention and would make an excellent film for history classes. The film's creators depict Edwin Epps, the main slave owner, as an unapologetic bigot, manipulator, rapist and sadist. Generations of slave traders lived their lives like this. The slave of the film's title, Samuel Northup, did, at least, live some of his life in the relative comfort of the North, but it's sobering to realise that generations of slaves lived in total misery, with no way out of their situation. I found Brad Pitt's small role -- as the saviour who contact Samuel's friends and family, who rescue Northup from slavery -- as a little patronising. I.e. the white guy who saves the day for the black guy. But my companion pointed out that often blacks' only hope would have been someone helping them.