Bludgeoning drama

Rating: 7/10 (5 September 2015)

12 Years a Slave tells a tragic story of a Free black man, Solomon Northrup, from upstate NY with a family and musical talent. On a trip to Washington DC, he gets kidnapped by slave traders and dragged into slavery.
Americans know the sad history of slavery in the US. This film slaps you in the face with visceral storytelling of the brutality and abuse of slavery, both mental and physical. Some made it, mostly by keeping quiet and acting like docile pets to cruel masters. Others did not.
You will see images of terrible lashings, whips, chains, sexual destruction, hangings, the whole thing. Over and over, this misery bludgeons you into hopelessness. While I'm sure the director expressed all this misery repeatedly to wear the viewer down, after 2 hrs 14 minutes, I had had enough - I got the point. There were too many long scenes, and repeated scenes like the dancing, and the abuse of the poor attractive black girl, and of Northrup himself of course.
Maybe that is what the director intended, and if so, he did a terrific job. This movie is not for the faint of heart. If you want an in-your- face reality check on just what slavery was, and perhaps why still today there is a growing animosity from blacks against whites, see 12 Years a Slave. It's not a masterpiece, and I'm sure it was a difficult film for the actors to make, but it is a story that bears your seeing to experience this horrible piece of history that we hope never happens again.
Terrific acting throughout, with my major critique being the length. Enjoy.