Health & Fitness
Movie Review - 12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave ****½ (R) After all the buzz surrounding this fine example of bringing history to life, no one needs a long review by now. The true story of a free Black musician who was living well with his family in 1841 New York until abducted and sold into slavery, is one of the year’s best films, to date. It’s also pretty grueling to watch, vividly depicting all the physical and emotional aspects of his ordeal so compellingly that viewers will long remember the experience.
Expect plenty of nominations during awards season for star Chiwetel Ejiofor, director Steve McQueen, the screenplay adapted from Solomon Northrup’s memoirs, some of the supporting players, and many of those handling cinematography, costumes, and other aspects of this splendid production. Compared to other films documenting the horrors of slavery, this one adds an extra element of injustice. Solomon was free, educated, yet suddenly as completely helpless as anyone could be. All he did was trust a couple of guys who seemed to be offering a legitimate opportunity to perform in Washington, D. C. He found himself in chains enroute to a Louisiana auction block, not only without recourse, but having to hide his status and literacy for survival. This serves as a masterful presentation of one facet of that shameful chapter in our history, with the unfortunate extra relevance of its similarities to the present-day global nightmare of human trafficking. (11/1/13)