The True Story of One Mans Years of Slavery

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2014)

This is my second review for Rock n Reel Reviews. My first was a fairly straightforward animated family adventure full of singing, dancing, and a hilarious talking snowman. My second was in danger of never seeing the light of day. As I sat and watched 12 Years A Slave I was slowly overwhelmed by the sense of dread that no words I could possibly bring forth could do justice to what is a truly remarkable piece of cinema. I was then struck by the notion that there are probably very few people on Earth whose words could. But films like this exist to inspire and even if my words fail to capture the greatness of 12 Years A Slave, if even just one of you ventures to your local cinema to see it, then I will have accomplished what I set out to do.
Set in the mid 1800′s, 12 Years A Slave tells the story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a man free born, living in up state New York with his family and earning a living as a carpenter and fiddle player. In 1841 Solomon is kidnapped and sold into slavery, forced to work on the cotton plantations of Louisiana. Initially in the service of the relatively benign William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), circumstance eventually sees him sold to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) a scripture quoting plantation master who believes it is his religious right to own and abuse those he considers his property. What follows is the most harrowing and heart breaking piece of film making since Schindlers List.
Helmed by British director Steve McQueen (Shame, Hunger), 12 Years A Slave has been rightly lauded as "one of the best films ever made", a sentiment with which I take no issue whatsoever. Everything about the film is inspired. The performances from the leads are breathtaking, Ejiofor and Fassbender quite rightly gaining Oscar nods for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively. Fassbender in Particular is immense. His portrayal of Edwin Epps is as terrifying as it is ultimately pathetic. The supporting cast all shine brilliantly in their cameos – Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt and Sarah Paulson being the most notable.
However special praise must be reserved for young Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o. Making her American film début she steals the film with her fleeting performance as Patsey, a young girl born into slavery and the target of Epps salacious intentions. An Oscar for Best Supporting Actress is surely inevitable. A tip of the hat must also go to the production design. The plantations of 12 Years A Slave are a far, far cry from the shining white mansions and lush green fields of other films of similar subject matter. Everything is drenched in a shroud of slow decay and stained with blood and sweat, a mirror into the souls of those who lived and died there.
As I reach these final lines, I am once again struck by the reality that these few paragraphs will in no way shape or form express the true greatness of 12 Years A Slave. I can only hope that once you have seen this film for yourself you will be at the same loss for truly fitting words to describe it as I have found myself.
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