12 Years a Slave
Florin Scanlon

Review by Florin Scanlon Pro

12 Years a Slave 2013

★★★★½

Watched May 01, 2014

Unflinching, gut-wrenching and devastating in its portrayal of slavery, 12 Years a Slave is a powerful movie that demands acknowledgement and acts as a dour reminder to one of the greatest crimes committed by mankind. It doesn't shy away from the more challenging and tough to swallow aspects of slavery, it pins down your eyes and forces you to watch how dark and evil people can get. It is a tough experience but a necessary one to better understand what went down and one that is very stirring and effective because of that. At the same time, it is a celebration of justice, fighting spirit and goodness that reside in all of us. The performances are extraordinary across the board, with standouts Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'o with only Brad Pitt sticking out like a sore thumb, both in terms of acting and character. The look of the movie is picturesque, the cinematography fittingly encompassing the epic scope of Solomon Northup's sad but endearing story. A quality film that already seems to be more than just a film.

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