(Rated 6/5)
Directed by Turner prize-winning artist Steve McQueen this film is a heart-wrenching work exhibiting the stark harrowing brutality of the world of slavery in 19th century America suffered by kidnapped former freeman Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and many others, in the form of a series of exceptionally beautiful moving works of art. Sean Bobbitt is the man actually behind the camera and I can only say that the actor artists involved in this must have had great trust and faith in both Bobbitt and McQueen. To say the work is up close and personal is an understatement, especially given what the actors are portraying so bravely and truthfully. Everything about their humanity both physically and emotionally is exposed to the core with exquisite truth and extreme openness.
Directed by Turner prize-winning artist Steve McQueen this film is a heart-wrenching work exhibiting the stark harrowing brutality of the world of slavery in 19th century America suffered by kidnapped former freeman Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and many others, in the form of a series of exceptionally beautiful moving works of art. Sean Bobbitt is the man actually behind the camera and I can only say that the actor artists involved in this must have had great trust and faith in both Bobbitt and McQueen. To say the work is up close and personal is an understatement, especially given what the actors are portraying so bravely and truthfully. Everything about their humanity both physically and emotionally is exposed to the core with exquisite truth and extreme openness.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is
responsible for my all time favourite solo piece of emotive performance. He was
exceptional as Othello at the Donmar Warehouse. If anything he surpasses that
in this film. The expressiveness of his face, and the rest of his body, conveys
all. There is no need for dialogue of which there is in fact little. And so
often all and everything we get is him in close-up and the poignancy of his
character’s feelings.
This is harsh and not for
the weak of stomach, but so necessarily so to show us the reality of these
experiences. Everyone is excellent and meets up to the standards set by
Ejiofor, including Benedict Cumberbatch as a ‘nice’ slave owner – even though
he seemed to forget his American accent for a time - and Michael Fassbender and
Sarah Paulson as the ‘nigger-breaking’ husband and wife Epps with no compassion
or sympathy whatsoever. Fellow slave, Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o) gets caught
between the Epps – raped by the husband and tortured by the wife for being her husband’s
favourite. Sadly there is arguably even worse to come for her. The sensitivity
of Nyong’o’s performance is also extraordinary given she is a newcomer – then again
being from truth rather than acting it perhaps the best way to do this kind of
work with then a great deal of support to recover from it!
I’m not sure I’d say it’s
‘must-see’ – but it is very important to see and for sure one of the best films
made of those that I have ever seen!
(The front row of Screen 1 Odeon, South Woodford is too close to the actual screen for comfort!)
12 Years a Slave – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2014
