12 Years a Slave stars Chiwetel Ejiofor in the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped in 1841 and shipped down south to become a slave. He endured twelve years of horrific conditions before he gained his freedom and went on to write his memoirs, which are named 12 Years a Slave. The film also stars Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Michael K. Williams, and newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, along with cameos by many other distinguished actors like Brad Pitt and Paul Giamatti.
This is, hands down, one of the most powerful and affecting movies I’ve ever seen. You read in books and learn in school how terrible slavery was, but the extent of that never really sinks in until you see it on the screen. The extent of the cruelty that Solomon and his fellow slaves are subjected to is mind-blowing. Ejiofor, who is a relative newcomer to American screens, is perfect in his starring role. He brings dignity and suffering to his character, and he is able to convince us of Solomon’s pain with his facial expressions alone. Michael Fassbender, who is known for his roles in X-Men, Inglorious Basterds, and Prometheus, plays the main villain of the film, Edwin Epps, a man who buys Solomon from Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) around halfway through the film. It’s shocking to see a man who so often plays heroes cast in such a villainous role, but his performance is so frightening that you grow to become genuinely afraid of him by the end. Also great is Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Solomon’s fellow slave Patsy, the object both of Epps’ love and loathing.
If the cast included those three alone, it would be a great enough movie. But the supporting cast is fantastic. It almost seems as though the director, Englishman Steve McQueen (not the long-dead Hollywood star), had called up every good actor working and begged them to be in the movie. Prominent actors like Brad Pitt and Paul Giamatti are given small, if crucial roles, and the supporting cast is filled up to the brim with great actors. Paul Dano plays (mostly) against type as an insufferable, violent overseer. Michael K. Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire) has a bit role, as does Garret Dillahunt, a respected character actor, and Taran Killam, who is now a cast member on SNL, among many others. Killam might seem like an odd choice, but he is actually pretty good in his dramatic role, and he was able to not make me think of his comedic work while he was onscreen.
The cinematography is amazing. McQueen, who has made two feature films before this one (Hunger and Shame, both of which star Fassbender), is clearly one of today’s greatest directors. Instead of a gritty, documentary-like approach to filming, he chooses to film in beautifully composed shots that nonetheless highlight the misery and suffering that is occurring within them.
All in all, this was a near perfect film. The cast, the crew, and the director all worked very well, and the story is more emotionally wrenching, in my opinion, than even Schindler’s List, which is saying something. They should just stop releasing movies this year. This one will be getting all the Oscars.
