(Astrid: I saw 12 Years a Slave at TIFF back in September. It was powerful, and even then, 6 months before the Oscars, there was tons of Best Picture buzz surrounding it. See my review of it from September here. I have been hassling my brother Alex (who refused to see it with me at TIFF!) to see it, and now, after it's Best Picture win, he has, and he has begrudgingly accepted that I was right about the movie! Hurrah! I love being right! Now, onto Al Mrk's thoughts...)
Alex:
This is a review of Steve McQueen's excellent movie, the true story of a free man kidnapped into slavery. The movie features a trio of great performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o and Michael Fassbender, and offers an unflinching depiction of slavery.
The movie tells the story of Solomon Northrup, a free black man living in upstate New York. Leading a cultured, pleasant life, Northrup is kidnapped and then sold into slavery. During the scene when he is sold into slavery he and the other slaves stand in an elegant, beautifully furnished rooms of a southern mansion. They are completely naked. Prospective owners examine them, feeling no embarrassment at the terrified naked people standing in the room. Without any feeling a mother is separated from her children. Her new owner tells her: "Something to eat and rest; your children will soon be forgotten."
A run-in with a viscous slave-driver (well played by Paul Dano) results in Northrup being sold to a brutal slave owner. The new slave-owner, played superbly by Michael Fassbender, is a wildly emotional, electrically savage man continually on the edge of tearing anyone near him apart. His obsessive attraction to a female slave, named Patsy, played by Lupita Ngoyo, leads to him raping her. Fassbender seemingly both obsessively hates and is compulsively attracted to Patsy.(Astrid: I would say that he is not only attracted to her, but loves her as well) The slave-owner's wife, played by Sarah Paulson, hates both her husband and Patsy for her husband's clear attraction, and punishes Patsy for it.
During Northrup's time there he always keeps his education secret, but during a brief encounter with a white worker on the farm Northrup reveals his education, for the purpose of asking for help. The worker betrays his secret, and the slave owner drapes his arms around Northrup and asks if it is true. Northrup convincingly lies to cover himself. The slave-owner relaxes, and raises his arms, and only then we see the owner had been holding a knife to Northrup's stomach. Northrup had been required to lie for his life with the knife tip to his belly.
The owner's obsession with Patsy leads to the movie's most brutal scene, when she is flogged. Given its subject matter, the movie has relatively few direct depictions of violence. It makes this scene all the worse, an unrelenting awful piece of violence. Shortly afterword, a chance encounter with an abolitionist allows Northrup to contact his family and receive his freedom. The reunion is handled extremely well; simple, moving and dignified.
The movie's direction, by Steve McQueen, is blunt and straightforward. It allows the horrors of slavery to speak for itself. McQueen also allows few moments of pastoral beauty, never producing shots of elegant plantations, only showing the revolting treatment of slaves. The camera is typically still for most shots, giving the movie a realistic feel. And the violence is never allowed to overcome the human element. The movie presents a excellent counterpoint to Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino's disgusting slavery movie, and there is no doubt 12 Years a slave is vastly superior in every way. A minor point, but like Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, the movie does suffer from some foolish casting. Both Brad Pitt and Paul Giamatti are ridiculous in minor roles. (Astrid: I would add Taran Killiam, of SNL, to that list!)
The rest of the acting is uniformly superb. Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers an excellent performance in the lead. He always opts for simplicity, never over-acting. He is in every scene of movie, and we never tire of his presence. Certainly the movie benefits from such a dignified character. Lupita Nyong'o is also excellent as Patsy. This was her film debut, and she's amazing in her role. Fassbender deserves great respect for his portrayal of the slave-owner. He is awful, yet full of emotions. Unlike many movie villains, who are either caricatures or charismatic, Fassbender actually commits to playing an awful person. His slave-owner is the most emotional person in the movie, and is also the worst person in the movie, a rare combination. Fassbender's wife, played by Sarah Paulson, also deserves praise.
(Astrid: Despite what anyone thinks about McConaughey (you already know my thoughts) it is abundantly clear after seeing this movie and its performances, that both Ejiofor and Fassbender were robbed of awards, as their acting are 2 of the best performances I've seen in quite some time. They lost to fools. If only Fassie wasn't such a brat (he refused to campaign b/c of his Oscar snub for Shame). I think had he put in the work, he would have won...)
Below: check out the audio of the Q and A after the screening from TIFF that I recorded, featuring McQueen and most of the actors
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