★★★★
“12 Years a Slave” is the true story of Solomon Northup
(Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man living in upstate New York in the years prior to
the American Civil War. He has a wife and two children. He’s a talented
violinist who is invited to travel with a couple of musicians down to
Washington, DC. While in Washington, Solomon is kidnapped in his sleep and sold
into slavery. No one wants to hear that he is a free man. He doesn’t have any
papers on him to prove his citizenship. Even if he did, the men transporting
him probably wouldn’t want to see it anyway.
When he arrives in the south, Solomon is renamed Platt by a
slave auctioneer (Paul Giamatti). He’s sold to a man named Ford (Benedict
Cumberbatch) along with a woman named Eliza (Adepero Oduye). As Ford’s slave,
he’s treated relatively fair both by Ford and by his wife (Liza J. Bennett).
Ford’s field supervisor Tibeats (Paul Dano) has it in for Solomon and the two
do not get along at all.
During these early scenes of the film, director Steve
McQueen is really only settling in as his role as the filmmaker of what’s meant
to be a powerful, profound and important film. He almost seems intimidated by
the emotional power contained within John Ridley’s masterful screenplay. Ridley
contains a lot of genuine suspense in his writing that helps to build up the
fear Solomon experiences. He’s also achieved the impossible by making a slave
owner – Ford – somewhat empathetic.
Cumberbatch doesn’t clock a lot of screen time, but he’s
commanding when he does. The slave owner he plays is a bit more kindhearted,
but is afraid to really show it. This is why he has to have someone else –
Tibeats – minding he fields. Dano always seems to play characters that are very
intense. They could be intense in their words and actions (“There Will Be
Blood”) or intense in their silence (“Little Miss Sunshine” and this year’s
“Prisoners”). His role is very challenging and once again he impresses. Had the
movie only chronicled Solomon’s time at Ford’s plantation, Dano would have been
the show stealer, but his role is small.
After Solomon disrespects his authority, Tibeats attempts to
kill Solomon. Ford is able to save Solomon, but he doesn’t know for how long.
He decides its best to transfer Solomon over to another plantation. This one is
a cotton farm owned by Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). He’s a ruthless man who
likes to whip his slaves for not meeting a quota of cotton picked per day.
Epps’ prized slave is Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o) who can pick
more cotton than any of the male slaves any day of the week. He also lusts
after her, something Epps’ wife (Sarah Paulson) disgusts. Whenever possible,
she exercises brief and sudden moments of violence against Patsey.
Solomon meanwhile is trying his hardest just to stay alive.
He accepts his name is Platt and doesn’t let anyone know he can read and write.
He doesn’t talk about his family back home in New York, and he doesn’t dare say
anything about being a free man. He does try to use his educated mind in his
favor, but that only goes so far. Eijofor plays this aspect of the character to
perfection. You can see the longing for his wife and kids in his eyes. McQueen
will leave the camera on his face for extended periods of time as countless
emotions wash over him.
Eijofor puts on a fierce performance in this role. He’s a
revelation to watch on screen. It’s a rare treat to see an actor play into
every imaginable emotion with this much intensity. And the best part about his
performance is he does it with very little dialogue. His performance is carried
by his expressions, his mannerism and even something as simple as his posture.
Fassbender’s Epps is one of the greatest villains in the
history of cinema. He’s a product of the environment in which he lives. Slavery
was a way of life, and he’s just living with that assumption. He makes
justifications of his brutal actions by quoting biblical scripture. He’s also insane,
which makes him more dangerous. He walks through the room and there’s fear in
everyone’s eyes. He knows his people fear him and he loves how powerful it
makes him feel. A good movie villain is at his most evil when he feels he’s
absolutely justified in his actions. Fassbender feels this way throughout the
film. He personifies the evil found in the entire culture in his performance.
Nyong’o turns in yet another powerful performance in this
film. The movie is certainly full of outstanding performances and she stands
out more than anyone else. She embodies all the pain and suffering experienced
by the slaves during this time in American history. McQueen really understands
who this character is and uses the role and Nyong’o’s portrayal to deliver his
most powerful emotional punches.
And when those powerful moments arrive, they are some of the
most powerful and gut wrenching moments you’ll see in any film this year.
McQueen is slow to get there, but once he does it is meaningful. “12 Years a
Slave” is a deeply moving and harrowing look into these dark times in American
history. And it’s a true story, written by the Solomon Northup himself. That
makes it even more gripping. You cannot take your eyes off this film for a
moment. If you do, its only because the visualization of slave abuse becomes a
little too much. Its certainly not the because of the performances or how
beautifully photographed it is. This is a great film that will be talked about
for years to come.
