Provocative, Daring, Absorbing Achievement

Rating: 9/10 (9 March 2014)

"The man who has no inner-life is a slave to his surroundings" (Henri Frederic Amiel).
The above quotation may seem to miss the point of the movie's content and yet, in the long run, you may see striking parallels among various 'incarnations' of slavery. But, there is no philosophy whatsoever...rather something utterly down to earth. What can touch viewers more profoundly, what may appear more appealing than real memoirs written in lifetime with human hand, carved in the stone of human experience? That is the story of Solomon Northup enriched with an unbelievably austere form this movie takes.
One of the reasons why Steve McQueen's film has been labeled as a 'long awaited' production and considered to be a "pioneering drama about American slaves" (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian) is its emotional resonance. Both film scholars and contemporary film freaks will agree that the supreme subject matter of the movie is not so much how evil the INSTITUTION of slavery was but rather how evil a human can be to another human - this in-depth insight into inner drives that prompt to evoke the best or the worst out of a person. If many producers usually fall into awing viewers with effects, 12 YEARS AS A SLAVE proves to succeed in provocative, daring and absorbing address of the conflicts within human being in his inner world and outside world. With him primarily comes a historical period that is rather supplied with thought provoking questions (sometimes rhetorical, yes) than strengthened by some 'intellectual depiction.'
Keeping that in mind, one could echo the words of Paul MacInnes from the Guardian that the movie "confronts a practice that endured in the United States of America for nearly 250 years." In that social/political dimension, Peter Bradlaw memorably points out that it is "a story from the cold civil war that preceded the hot one." But it is above all the protagonist that makes it a wholly absorbing drama.
The memoirs by Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are skillfully adapted by the novelist John Ridley. Mind you, 'AS A SLAVE' in the title indicates a role imposed on him rather than something that would reveal who he really was deep down. He had to live AS A SLAVE though he was actually never a slave innately. That may echo the quotation I entailed at the beginning, that may evoke the very truth about the inner vs. the outer reality of a human being who dares not be afraid of such confrontation. Therefore, the major strength of McQueen's movie lies in the fact that it is, above all, a simple and touching story of a particular man with his tragedy, his humiliation, his suffering.
Thanks to Chiwetel Ejiofor, we have a truly powerful depiction of this drama, a wondrous insight into thought provoking feelings and emotions that may rise in a free man turned into a slave. The protagonist, a talented violinist who had a family in New York and used to live a life of a free man has to confront the reality that he had barely foreseen in nightmares. There are many scenes that, mind you, are not very wordy but where images say more than words could do. That is a wonderful return to the cinema's primordial power - to touch viewers through what they see. Even in these hardest conditions, he appears not to lose his hope...as long as all is brought to a truly touching conclusion that, in a way, becomes an almost reference to the biblical reunion of Joseph and his family. Forget the bitter past for the sun still illumines our future.
Within the artistic concept, kudos to cinematographer Sean Bobbit and his interesting uses of images. We can experience some moments of the atmosphere of the Old South, not praised as, for instance, in GONE WITH THE WIND where the charm of southern belles and manners of slave owners seem to dominate and shadow the tragedy of the humiliated ones. The shots of nature, the picking of cotton provide a specific image for the whole story and place the viewers in a realistic locations. The movie boast truly beautiful photography.
Among the supporting cast, a mention must be made of Lupita Nyong'o as Patsy. Her role is, perhaps, the one that we will most identify with and empathize with apart from the protagonist. She said in an interview that "being part of 12 YEARS AS A SLAVE has been one of the most powerful experiences of my life." That says for itself. The scene she is being whipped by Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) is particularly disturbing and yet dramatic and intense. Something that leaves you sort of speechless. Also, credit to Mr Fassbender for portraying the cruel, almost lunatic-maniac slave master and Brad Pitt whom you will never forget in the little yet immensely important role of carpenter Bass.
When emotions after the Oscar night have calmed down, 12 YEARS AS A SLAVE will remain as a provocative, daring, absorbing movie about a man who had his inner life which helped him stay alive and meet his beloved ones as an experienced 'master' of will to survive and dare face 'a tomorrow of dignity.'