Movie Review: 12 Years a Slave (English)

Imagine how it would be if you were to one day suddenly realize you are no longer a free man. To no longer have the freedom and liberty to do the things you love. To no longer be able to meet your near and dear. And be forever destined to live under the mercy of another fellow human as a slave. A stark reminder of American slave trade in the 1800's and a grim indication of how humans can be so inhuman to others, 12 Years a Slave is a disquieting watch and a searing classic.

Depicting slavery on celluloid isn't cakewalk. But director Steve McQueen, of Hunger and Shame fame, emphatically sticks to Solomon Northup's autobiographical account to deliver a brutally realistic film that's far from comfortable viewing, so much that it's impossible to be just a mute spectator to the proceedings. McQueen forces us to question the very fabric of humanity by taking an unflinching look at the cruelty and suffering slaves endured at the hands of their masters in not so much of a distant past. The heart-rending story of Solomon Northup, a New York-born free Negro, kidnapped and sold into slavery and his 12 year ordeal is visceral and an unrelenting movie experience.

Topped by some of the finest performances in recent times, particularly Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup, Michael Fassbender as the sadistic cotton plantation owner and Lupita Nyong'o as the slave-girl in his farm, the film's fantastic cinematography (Sean Bobbitt) and background score (Hans Zimmer) takes you back in time and engulfs you in a sea of emotions as Northup reclaims his freedom in a bittersweet end. Films of this kind are rare, and 12 Years a Slave is one which will linger with you long after you leave the cinema. Powerful, thoroughly overwhelming and unbearable at times, it will leave you shell-shocked.