12 Years a Slave
Go! Cinema was made for this.
Raw, powerful slavery drama.
Why do we go to the cinema? To leave the minutiae of our own lives for a couple of hours and be entertained by the tried and tested respite that bright colours and loud noises in the dark can offer? To escape the irritating thought of "that muppet, Mike" in accounting for more than five minutes? Or simply to sit at the back and have a wee snog and a wee feel, without even really watching the film? Most of the time, probably an aggregate of the above - we look to cinema for something to disengage us briefly from our own reality; give us a little emotional massage and a gentle kiss on the forehead that tells us, "Don't worry, it's ok - things are quite good". If that is what you are looking for, do not go and see 12 Years A Slave. Go and see Anchorman 2.
But if you're looking for a film that will cut to the crust of your own emotional experience and question your sensibilities; a film that reaches far beyond entertainment, 12 Years A Slave is it. It is a piece of true art in its own right; a masterful reflection of a brutal history; a piercing psychological study of the grimy and glorious human condition; a spiritual journey for both the characters and the audience. It is a visual representation of fear and despair; love and salvation, made all the more profound because it emanates from a true story.
But if you're looking for a film that will cut to the crust of your own emotional experience and question your sensibilities; a film that reaches far beyond entertainment, 12 Years A Slave is it. It is a piece of true art in its own right; a masterful reflection of a brutal history; a piercing psychological study of the grimy and glorious human condition; a spiritual journey for both the characters and the audience. It is a visual representation of fear and despair; love and salvation, made all the more profound because it emanates from a true story.
This is what cinema is capable of. With 12 Years the medium is released from the shackles of popcorn puffery that we usually gorge ourselves on; freeing it to transcend mere sounds and images and become unrestrictedly meaningful to anyone that allows it to be. This is what great art can do - it has the power to challenge our lives and revitalise our weathered perceptions of the world. The result is magnificent, troubling and truly unforgettable.
Based on an autobiographical novel of the same name, the film follows the story of Solomon Northup in the mid-19th century - a black man born and living free in New York - who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. The cast is strongly British and Irish, with Chewetel Ejiofor (Children of Men) playing the tragic lead, and important roles for Benedict Cumberbatch (The Fifth Estate) and the sadistic, sinister Michael Fassbender (Shame) as slave owners. Ejiofor in particular is truly incredible. Since his performance has currently delivered nominations or wins of SIXTY-ONE acting awards I shall say little more about the man who is surely soon to become the first black British actor to win the Best Actor Academy Award. Many of the supporting cast are equally as deserving of praise (such as Lupita Nyongo, pictured below), while cameos from Paul Giamatti (Sideways) and Brad Pitt (oh come on - you know who he is) emphasise the clout of this film. But nothing does this moreso than the fact that the man behind the camera is the Turner Prize-wining Londoner, Steve McQueen; director of two of the richest general-release films of recent years, Hunger and Shame.
Based on an autobiographical novel of the same name, the film follows the story of Solomon Northup in the mid-19th century - a black man born and living free in New York - who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. The cast is strongly British and Irish, with Chewetel Ejiofor (Children of Men) playing the tragic lead, and important roles for Benedict Cumberbatch (The Fifth Estate) and the sadistic, sinister Michael Fassbender (Shame) as slave owners. Ejiofor in particular is truly incredible. Since his performance has currently delivered nominations or wins of SIXTY-ONE acting awards I shall say little more about the man who is surely soon to become the first black British actor to win the Best Actor Academy Award. Many of the supporting cast are equally as deserving of praise (such as Lupita Nyongo, pictured below), while cameos from Paul Giamatti (Sideways) and Brad Pitt (oh come on - you know who he is) emphasise the clout of this film. But nothing does this moreso than the fact that the man behind the camera is the Turner Prize-wining Londoner, Steve McQueen; director of two of the richest general-release films of recent years, Hunger and Shame.
In the same vein as McQueen's other films, 12 Years A Slave is deeply affecting and inescapably visceral. Suffering and injustice; the vacancy of hope and evaporation of humanity; the need to survive but the desire to fight - all of these issues are boldly and artfully dealt with. As is his style, McQueen asks much of his actors, coupling their consistently raw performances with long, often beautifully sumptuous and lingering frames that contrast the horror of the scene; and persistent close-ups of faces that leave neither the character nor the audience with any escape from the strength of emotion that makes this film so tragically and life-questioningly real. It is often so realistically graphic in its depiction of violence against the slaves that it becomes difficult to watch; but your eyes will remain glued to the screen in a masochistic need to endure the agony; to stay with the characters through all of their trials. In just over two hours, 12 Years will lynch your heart and lash your soul until the breath hangs shallow in your lungs and tears collect behind your eyes, patiently waiting to fall. It is a masterpiece.*
So brace yourself, take a deep breath and go, with urgency. And on this occasion, please save the snogging for another time.
*A little additional thought:
Slavery was most probably the worst thing that human beings have ever done to one another, and the scars of its impact still run deep, particularly in the USA. It is therefore telling that Steve McQueen is black himself, and perhaps also that he is not American - both factors that have finally allowed a story such as this to be told in this way. It is also notable that in the 86 years of the Academy Awards, just two black men have ever been nominated in the category of Best Director. It is virtually inevitable that McQueen will become the third nominee, and with the brilliance of 12 Years, he surely must become the first black winner of that category.
Awards or not, the making of the film is of such significance because it brings to light the meaning of 12 Years today - the fact of race meeting oppression, and how recently and to what a boundless extent such abominable acts were perpetrated against the very fabric of what makes us decent human beings. Only 150 years ago, McQueen himself could have befallen the same fate as Solomon Northup, simply for the colour of his skin. Instead he has made one of the best films that you may ever see, and it is likely that he will now be regarded as one of the most important artists of the twenty-first century. In that regard, beyond the images on the screen, this film is a symbol of the greatness human beings are capable of, as much as it is a reminder of how cruel and blinded they can become.
So brace yourself, take a deep breath and go, with urgency. And on this occasion, please save the snogging for another time.
*A little additional thought:
Slavery was most probably the worst thing that human beings have ever done to one another, and the scars of its impact still run deep, particularly in the USA. It is therefore telling that Steve McQueen is black himself, and perhaps also that he is not American - both factors that have finally allowed a story such as this to be told in this way. It is also notable that in the 86 years of the Academy Awards, just two black men have ever been nominated in the category of Best Director. It is virtually inevitable that McQueen will become the third nominee, and with the brilliance of 12 Years, he surely must become the first black winner of that category.
Awards or not, the making of the film is of such significance because it brings to light the meaning of 12 Years today - the fact of race meeting oppression, and how recently and to what a boundless extent such abominable acts were perpetrated against the very fabric of what makes us decent human beings. Only 150 years ago, McQueen himself could have befallen the same fate as Solomon Northup, simply for the colour of his skin. Instead he has made one of the best films that you may ever see, and it is likely that he will now be regarded as one of the most important artists of the twenty-first century. In that regard, beyond the images on the screen, this film is a symbol of the greatness human beings are capable of, as much as it is a reminder of how cruel and blinded they can become.
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