12 Years A Slave

The True Story of Slavery

Director: Steve McQueen

Release Date: 2013

Rating: 15

Running Time: 120 mins

Genre: Biography/Drama

Actors: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt

"I don't want to survive, I want to live."

It's been out for over a year now and I have only just managed to see 12 Years A Slave. I'd heard people say what an amazing film it was, and then seeing it go on to win the Academy Award last year for best film, it was a film definitely worth seeing. Yet, I had also heard how many had found it a hard film to watch. It's of course obvious that a film about slavery, particularly this story of a man stripped of his life and sold into another, would cause some upset, but having finally seen it, I must be honest, I loved it.

The film opens with Solomon Northup (Ejiofor), a free black man from New York, happily living his life with his wife and children. Known for his talent on a violin he's approached by two men keen to have him play in Washington with them, Solomon agreeing to this ventures to Washington with the two men but it's not long before he wakes up shackled and chained with a handful more black people and made to become slaves. We follow Solomon on his incredible story stretched over 12 years, where against all odds he fights to get home.

Though perhaps not the most well known actor before this, there's no doubt Chiwetel Ejiofor will be much more renowned now after his performance as Solomon. The man is a terrific actor and plays the role so well despite not even being American, plays a believable and immediately likable character, we feel everything he feels with him. I thought that at last years Academy Awards Matthew McConoughey did deserve the Oscar having been utterly brilliant in Dallas Buyers Club, but now having seen 12 Years, it must've been a tremendously close call between the two. Having seen Ejiofor previously as Okwe, in the British Drama Dirty Pretty Things (2002) it was great to see him again ten years on still performing as inspirational people, whose stories are centred around survival and hope. I'm sure there's more to see from the actor that's got an Oscar waiting for him to steal.

Solomon Northup's story is one of survival and the evil that existed in the 19th century. It shows a much different world to one that exists today but a world that should never be forgotten. 12 Years A Slave can be regarded as one of the most inspirational stories of freedom against slavery and they picked the right man to show it to us. There's no denying that Steve McQueen is an absolute visionary when it comes to his cinematography and style of filming. Having started his career in the art world anyway, he has this unique way of showing the world from it's beautiful scenery contrasted with the cruelty against humanity that went on. The two contradictions emphasize the decay of humanity in such a horrible place that had such beauty.

Though it is a harrowing film, and not one for a feel good Friday night, 12 Years A Slave is a story that everyone should know, and no one should forget. An inspiring and moving film.

10/10