12 Years A Slave

12 Years A Slave is one of those films whose content is already strong, and whose form increases it and renders it overwhelming and breathtaking for the spectators to watch.

Steve McQueen and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt made a brilliant job in creating shots of the sublime, I would say, powerful images which enchant and frighten you at the same time.

Based on Solomon Thurnp's autobiography the story allows McQueen to use his style especially of long takes and graphic violence. 

Solomon Thurnp was a free African American living in New York with his wife and two children in 1841. He is a respected violin player, when one day two men approach him with the excuse of hiring him in a circus for a short, but rewarding period of time. Solomon accepts without knowing he is selling his freedom. The men drug him and he finds himself chained and ready to be sold as slave in New Orleans. 

This film is not only a unique piece of cinema boasting a great camerawork and exceptional cast of which I will talk in a minute, but it is especially a unique piece about an historical period which tends to be ignored, left aside. Moreover, knowing the story is part of the history of a real man, of all the real people who experienced the horror of slavery makes the message even stronger.

I personally think the film has a good shot in both the Oscars and the BAFTAs, it definitely is one of the greatest films of 2013.

Together with its filmmaker's exquisite style, what makes this film so great is its cast. 

Starring as Solomon, the great actor Chiwetel Ejiofor in a role which will hopefully gain him the success he deserves, his performance turns him into Solomon guiding the audience through heartbreaking scene, visually and emotionally difficult to watch.

Michael Fassbender delivers another great performance in the role of the plantation owner Edwin Epps, leaving no pity for his character and delivering his weaknesses and hatred towards his slaves, but also towards himself. Even more hateful is Sarah Paulson in the role of Mistress Epps. Brad Pitt delivers a small, but sophisticated performance in the role of Samuel Bass, without forgetting the initial role of Benedict Cumberbatch as William Ford, an unconventional plantation owner who reveals to be a good man, but also a product of his time.

I decided to leave her as last, because for me she was the greatest performer in the film. I am talking about Lupita Nyong'o who acts as Patsey. I found her character the most difficult to develop in a realistic way: she receives most of the violence in the film, she is Mister Epps' obsession and Mistress Epps' jealousy cause, she is a woman tired of living, her giving up on life clearly showing in her gaze. The sequences involving her such as a very intense rape as well as the hardest whipping scene I have ever seen are shot in long takes made to unease the spectator. Her acting intensity made her my identification point for most of the film and I cannot wait to see her in another role, since this was her first performance in a feature film.

This film is a portrait of humanity and inhumanity a dichotomy which, unfortunately, still inhabits our society. Solomon is an example of great humanity, the kind that does not give up because there is always something out there worth living for. 

Thanks Mr. McQueen.