Interesting subject matter, wasted by poor direction... Overrated!

Rating: 6/10 (31 January 2014)

I was expecting great things of this film. "A modern classic", everyone said. "Oscar-worthy emotional drama with excellent acting" they said. The list of Oscar nominations it received along with the general public consensus led me to believe I was about to watch one of the seminal films of modern cinema...
That only compounded the disappointment, and dismay that confronted me during and after the film.
The subject matter should make for an interesting and deeply emotional story. And it could have... if not for some frankly weird direction. The pace seemed too slow, and there didn't seem to be a clear narrative to the story. There were no particular defined story-lines that had a clear direction, instead the story just kind of 'meandered along' - just telling the tale of stuff that happened to a bloke in times of slavery.
This to me reeks of a Director either in above his head, or just plain not knowing what he is doing or what kind of film he is trying to make.
Some of the cinematography was poor too, the pacing issue I already mentioned was painfully obvious during long scenes of character's faces (that seemed disjointed, pointless to the preceding and proceeding scenes, and represented nothing at all), that were just odd, too long and largely pointless to anything.
Overall, a wasted opportunity I feel. This film could have been so much better with a better Director...