12 YEARS A SLAVE

Directed by: Steve McQueen

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano

Runtime: 133 minutes

Slavery, upon listening to that word most people will get a hard time recognizing it. It felt like ages ago that people still practice slavery. Although in today's world slavery still existed. In 2012 we have Django Unchained, the pop corn version of slavery, now we have the gritty and uncompromising 12 Years A Slave.

With only two movies before this one (Hunger and Shame), McQueen is gambling his future by taking a very serious theme. The torture and flogging are represented as it is, it will make you flinch and wonder; why does such atrocities happened at all? Don't these slave owner have consciousness or not?

To discuss the historical and socio-cultural aspect of slavery will take so much time so I will just review the movie itself. Chiwetel Ejiofor is Solomon Northrop, a free African American. At that time some African American are free man, not all of them are slaves. One day Solomon got kidnapped and sold as a slave for years, taken away from his family for years and facing numerous act of violence (and kindness) professed not just by the slave owners but fellow slaves too.

What I like from this film is not just the uncompromising violence and depiction of human degradation by another human being, but also the gradation of characters in it. Not all slave owners are maniac like Epps (Michael Fassbender), one is sympathetic like William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) although not as 21st century sympathetic, more like a 19th century slave owner sympathetic.

After seeing this I wonder, why such thing ever happened? Why does nobody, not even the slaves, rebel against such deprivation and degradation? Perhaps the answer lies in history books and analysis from expert. Somehow McQueen succeeded in making a gripping tale of human survival and it deserves to win best picture at the BAFTA and nominated for the same category in this year's Oscar.