“Racism is not dead. It’s not. And that’s why this film is so important. To understand American society today, it starts with these kinds of stories, and the fact that they haven’t been dealt with yet. There’s work to be done."
- Lupita Nyong'o
I watched 12 Years a Slave yesterday. I was going to write a post about it yesterday, but I couldn't bring myself to do it so I wrote about Dallas Buyers Club instead. I couldn't do it because I just feel like it's such a hard thing to write about. Instead I've kind of put together some words from other people along with my own.
The movie is based on the 1853 memoir of the freeman Solomon Northup (who is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The movie is bleak, uncomfortable, terrifying, depressing but it is also "visceral, truthful and electrifyingly 'real'" (here). When I say that this movie is bleak, uncomfortable, terrifying and depressing, what I mean is, that it's exactly what director Steve McQueen wants you to feel. His shots are "intended to induce claustrophobia, physical and existential" and all his images have "considerable power" (here).
Everyone in this movie is perfect. The whole cast is so exceptional, with performances from Lupita Nyong'o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Sarah Paulson. Everyone deserves the praise they are receiving for this movie. I wish I could write more about it but really, there isn't much more I need to say other that I believe everyone should watch this movie. Not only because it a cinematic masterpiece but also because it is important for people to see the issue of slavery and racism being tackled on screen.
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