A Film That Vividly Displays The Inhumanity of American Slavery

Rating: 9/10 (12 August 2014)

I hesitated going to see this film because I couldn't wrap my mind around watching another slave film where there's that white character who is so understanding of the African slaves plight. I just couldn't fathom watching another film where there's that sadistic, over-acting white master, who it's so obvious we're suppose to hate that we cheer when he gets his in the end. I definitely didn't want to be subjected to that well-known sympathetic white wife or child, who battled his own soul to balance the Ol' South's tradition of slavery as opposed to its evil against mankind. Finally, I didn't want to see another Django Unchained, which, I'm well aware, many people found enjoyable. However, for me, Quentin Tarentino's grindhouse Blaxploitation rip-off left a bitter taste in my mouth, as I felt he dealt with slavery in an almost whimsical, comical manner. As an African American, I found this appalling since White America has never apologized, given restitution, nor accepted it's role in one of the most-inhumane periods in human history.
However, this is a film review, not a history lesson, so first off, let me say that 12 Years a Slave IS NOTHING LIKE DJANGO UNCHAINED! They are two different movies, two different genres, and two different directors. 12 years A Slave is the horrific journey of Solomon Northup, a black man born free who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. What transpires is one man's visual diary of the atrocity, hypocrisy and inhumane world of Southern American slavery. There are no heroes, no melodramatic Hollywood moments, only a man trying to find his way back home to his family.
What sets this film apart in my opinion, are the magnificent performances of its cast, in particular, Mr. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ms. Lupita Nyong'o. Where there are no over-emotional moments, no grand Hollywood speeches to the white master, these two actors succeed in taking us back in time, and drawing us into the character's lives and pain. Ejiofor's Solomon Northrup tells us his internal pain with his eyes, as they seek out justice, but find only despair. His words are few, but when spoken, they convey his slipping grasp on his former freedom, something he will not, can not let go of, throughout his living nightmare.
Rising up with the same breathtaking performance is talented newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, who portrayal of Patsey is the counter opposite of Ejiofor's Solomon. Patsey has known nothing but slavery; her life consists of survival, doing what's necessary to keep the lash from her back. However, even that's not good enough, as she must also contend with the lust of her master, and the hatred of his wife and her mistress. Through Nyong'o performance, we're aware of Patsey's troubling slow-death. Hers is the coupling that connects the two worlds of the Negro in America. Solomon, born free, educated, providing for his family, and Patsey, uneducated, a workhorse who's known nothing but hard labor and the lust of her perverted master. Two separate lives, two separate existences, bound together because of one skin color.
Two significant scenes standout, the first being Solomon, after having been drugged, wakes up in a basement, chained to the floor. It's dark, we don't see much, but we hear the chains scraping against the concrete. Our heart's race as we realize that something dreadful has happened to this carefree violinist. The second haunting scene takes place after Solomon has a major setback in his attempt for freedom. Solomon stares out into space. There is no music for dramatic effect. We just watch for about thirty seconds, the face of a man whose faith has been totally washed away.
Accolades to director Steve McQueen for taking on a challenge he must have known would draw both critical and negative attention. McQueen succeeds in telling the story of Solomon Northrup and the horrors of slavery, without "telling us" the story. Whereas many directors must put their "stamp" on their work, McQueen allows us to graze through the scenery, the imagery and the emotions without force-feeding us. Letting us absorb the horrors the character's face on our own. I have to mention the excellent screenplay written by John Ridley, which garnered him a much-deserved Oscar. Also on point was Sean Bobbitt's cinematography, which creates a breathtaking painting of nineteenth century America.