12 Years A Slave

Anybody who has ever paid attention in history class has an idea as to what slavery was like. Quentin Tarantino recently painted a colorful and vivid picture with Django Unchained. However, 12 Years A Slave is more than willing to do the same thing and not wrap it up with a pretty pink vengeful bow. While it's always fun to see some of history's most despicable villains get what's coming to them, that was not the case for Solomon Northup.

Steve McQueen's latest covers the basics - whippings, racial slurs, cotton-picking, and tragedy. Even if it seems all too familiar, the film really lets the emotional and mental abuse of slavery be known. A mother is separated from her two children, just as Solomon was, and she cries for an extended period of time. To some, including Solomon himself, it gets tiresome and aggravating to hear as she wails for all to hear, but it is a feeling that few can imagine, and the idea of it is portrayed effectively. Nearly every bit of the film conveys an aspect of slavery that stays true to the tone and nature of slavery without skimping on the details.

Every character fits the proper role of every kind of person involved in slavery. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon so well as the man who has everything and then nothing. It's equal parts heartbreaking and remarkable. Michael Fassbender and Sarah Paulson are the relentlessly vile and cruel slave-owning Epps couple that inflict the most torture upon Solomon and the slaves, while Benedict Cumberbatch (yeah, that guy again) portrays the kindly slave owner that is not frequently seen. He still drops the n-bomb as was customary, yet it is nice to see someone who is compassionate toward Solomon. Even the briefly seen actors like Paul Giamatti and Alfre Woodard bring their A-game to the film with memorable parts.

One thing that is a bit of a headscratcher is that the passage of time in the film seems to go by quickly. It doesn't actually feel like twelve years pass for Solomon. Although, in that time, it shows how the effects of his tribulations take a toll on his mental state by the end of the film. Still, it would have probably worked a lot better if it took it's time to flesh it out further.

McQueen's meticulously-crafted drama doesn't hold back on the brutality of one of America's most unpleasant eras. It is haunting, yet poignant, and it's cast is just as powerful in their presentation of every major player in that time.