Captivating, compelling, frightening, often hard to watch, but in the end completely rewarding

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2014)

It's hard to review a movie like 12 Years A Slave, considering the amount of love this movie has gotten. It's the Best Picture winner for 2013. It's sitting at a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, among the highest rated movies by critics and audiences. What more can be said, other than the fact that all of these accolades are not only well deserved, but completely justified?
12 Years a Slave is a phenomenal piece of work. It's captivating, compelling, frightening, often hard to watch, but in the end completely rewarding. It shows slavery in its true form and never sugarcoats or turns its back on the message it is trying to deliver.
There are some great performances here, many of which were nominated for and one of which won the acting Oscars. Chiwetel Ejiofor completely carries this movie and you long so much for him to get out of the situation he is in. Michael Fassbender plays the role of a sadistic slave owner, who you loathe every single time he is present on screen. One of the biggest surprises comes from Lupita N'Yongo, who at only 16 minutes of screen time becomes one of the most memorable characters in the whole story and proves that she deserved the Oscar she won. There are many other actors who show up briefly, such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, and others, and they all do fantastic as well.
As I mentioned above, 12 Years a Slave is a really realistic portrayal of slavery. As a result, many scenes are hard to watch. There is no holding back. The two whipping scenes in this movie are tough, the latter all captured in one take lasting about 4 minutes, and almost reach a "Passion of the Christ" level. There is also a lot of other horrific moments, such as hangings and rape, that will definitely be hard for the viewer to experience. However, at the same time, they are powerful and really puts you in that experience.
And everything technical about this movie is fantastic as well. Steve McQueen really impressed me with "Shame" back in 2011, and continues to show his potential of becoming one of this generation's best filmmakers. The camera work is excellent, sometimes going on long takes that submerge you into the setting. The production and costume designs look authentic, the writing is great, the musical score is engrossing and moving; 12 Years a Slave really excels in its technicality. However, it still keeps us rooted in its story which keeps up invested and looking for resolution until the very end.
Overall, 12 Years a Slave is a fantastic and powerful film, and could easily be this decade's "Schindler's List." It examines slavery in a realistic, albeit graphic approach, has great actors that keep you invested in the characters, and is structured and directed perfectly. It's a wonderful and moving movie, and while some may not be able to handle it, this will no doubt go down as one of the most powerful and thought-provoking movies to come out in a long time.