Steve McQueen’s third and best
feature is the first film to tackle the American slave trade with the objective
integrity required of the subject. 12 Years a Slave chronicles the titled dozen
years of Solomon
Northup from his kidnapping to enslavement to the end of his excruciating
odyssey.
To the marketers, 12 Years is an ‘important’
period piece but McQueen channels pure horror in its most reachable guise. The deep
drones that permeate the boat ride down south for the fresh slaves makes the
scene something approaching a hellish traversal of the river Styx. The specter of Southern Gothic courses through 12 Years’ veins. It’s all the more
frightening that what’s being served up is so recent.
 |
| Once a free man |
Every facet of character and context
is so well noted volumes can be said in a few lines or actions. Take when
Solomon defends Benedict Cumberbatch’s Ford to Eliza, saying him to be a good man in
the context. She simply, perfectly retorts “in the context he’s a slaver”.
Cumberbatch is dealt the most difficult performance and executes it faultlessly
on a razor’s edge. Ford is what comes frighteningly close to a sympathetic
character. In this he’s far worse than Michael Fassbender’s psychopathic Epps; it
men like Ford who fuel the system, keep the cogs turning.
It almost goes without saying but the cast is uniformly superb. Much attention has been drawn to Lupita Nyong'o in the role of Patsy and rightly so, she’s an outstanding discovery. Her conviction as an actress leads to multiple scenes which verge on unbearable to witness. Also, after years of being great in bit parts, Chiwetel Ejiofor carries the entire film and delivers a performance unrivaled in recent memory.
McQueen’s film only further puts into context the fervor surrounding Quentin Tarantino’s self-aggrandizing nonsense when talking of his own film ‘dealing’ with the slave trade, Django Unchained. Tarantino’s was a film of alarming vapidity; it wasn't about anything. This is a film of slavery first hand and as bare-boned and authentic an account as you’re ever likely to see. McQueen’s greatest trick is in his application of subject to accessibility. That’s not to say that it’s an easy film or a pared down one, quite the opposite but art house roots and trappings aside, it’s ostensibly the slave trade for the mass market. It’s historical and national shame wrapped up in a digestible fashion, albeit digestion that’s likely to leave violent nausea.
There is one sizable faux pas in the form of Bass (Brad Pitt); a savior-like figure that sails in as the voice of reason in the tail end of the film. Though assured to be a real figure in Northup’s account, within the context of the film he is a clunky inclusion to an otherwise faultless script. We don’t need to be told how bad slavery is and the shame it will cause in years to come, we've just witnessed it for two hours. This is the one moment when the film’s startling objectivity veers into more preachy territory.
It almost goes without saying but the cast is uniformly superb. Much attention has been drawn to Lupita Nyong'o in the role of Patsy and rightly so, she’s an outstanding discovery. Her conviction as an actress leads to multiple scenes which verge on unbearable to witness. Also, after years of being great in bit parts, Chiwetel Ejiofor carries the entire film and delivers a performance unrivaled in recent memory.
McQueen’s film only further puts into context the fervor surrounding Quentin Tarantino’s self-aggrandizing nonsense when talking of his own film ‘dealing’ with the slave trade, Django Unchained. Tarantino’s was a film of alarming vapidity; it wasn't about anything. This is a film of slavery first hand and as bare-boned and authentic an account as you’re ever likely to see. McQueen’s greatest trick is in his application of subject to accessibility. That’s not to say that it’s an easy film or a pared down one, quite the opposite but art house roots and trappings aside, it’s ostensibly the slave trade for the mass market. It’s historical and national shame wrapped up in a digestible fashion, albeit digestion that’s likely to leave violent nausea.
There is one sizable faux pas in the form of Bass (Brad Pitt); a savior-like figure that sails in as the voice of reason in the tail end of the film. Though assured to be a real figure in Northup’s account, within the context of the film he is a clunky inclusion to an otherwise faultless script. We don’t need to be told how bad slavery is and the shame it will cause in years to come, we've just witnessed it for two hours. This is the one moment when the film’s startling objectivity veers into more preachy territory.
McQueen has delivered the front
runner for film of the year in the first quarter and in any films surpass 12
Years then we’re in for a stormer of a year. It needs to be made clear 12 Years
a Slave is not a relevant film. Far from it. It is a shame this film has taken
so long to emerge.
 |
| A harsh reality |
