12 Years A Slave (2013) Fox Searchlight Pictures/Entertainment One/Summit Entertainment 📢 Director: Steve McQueen. 💰 Producers: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Bill Pohland, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Anthony Katagas. 👫 Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard. 🏆 Awards ceremony: -86th Academy Awards: March 2, 2014. Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. 🎭 Other films nominated for Best Picture this year: -American Hustle. -Captain Phillips. -Dallas Buyers Club. -Gravity. -Her. -Nebraska. -Philomena. -The Wolf Of Wall Street. 📕 Plot summary: Based on a true story. Set in 1841, an African-American man is tricked by two conmen into leaving his family in New York by making some easy money in Washington playing his fiddle. But after his performance he is drugged and ultimately sold into slavery. For the next twelve years he and others are subjected to horrific physical and sexual abuse on a plantation in Louisiana before finally being rescued and released back to his family. 💥 Standout scene(s): -Unfortunately the most standout scenes are those which are deliberately designed as uncomfortable (yet memorable) to endure: the shocking prolonged hanging scene of Solomon where he is left dangling on tip-toes after an interrupted lynching just goes on and on; and later when Solomon is forced to whip the crap out of the naked Patsey. -The scene where Solomon finally snaps and kicks Tibeats' arse! 🔑 Facts: -The 86th Academy Awards. -Nominated for 9 Academy Awards, it won 3: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Lupita Nyong'o), Adapted screenplay. -Second (consecutive) Best Picture appearance for Scoot McNairy (Argo). -Somebody at the Academy obviously had a sense of humour, because the film GRAVITY was nominated for "Best Picture". Just imagine if that had won, nobody would have taken the Academy Awards seriously ever again! -Remember back in the day when a film would have one producer? This had SEVEN. 🙂 Personal opinion: I have quite a bit to say about this one! The harsh and uncomfortable abuse scenes are horrible for us to watch and that is deliberate. That is the whole point of the film. The director spares us the full indignity of the rape scene by fixing the camera on the victim's face without the need to show any gratuitous nudity. I applaud this. We don't need to see it, we know what's happening. That scene was handled well. I found the continuity and editing, flicking between the past and present to be really unnecessary and slightly distracting. The movie would have played just as well without it. The actors: Chiwetel Ejiofor (Solomon) is a strong lead; Lupita Nyong'o (Patsey) deserved her Oscar; and Paul Dano (Tibeats) plays his character so well as the bully who is revealed to be nothing more than a coward when challenged by Solomon (another really striking scene that made me cheer!) As much as I just hated his character, I couldn't help but enjoy every minute he was on screen. He kind of just vanishes halfway through the film and his absence does leave a notable hole. Benedict Cumberbatch (that is one seriously interesting surname isn't it?) plays a somewhat sympathetic owner who cares for the slaves, and it gives his character some warmth. Talking of warmth, the cinematography at times has some stunning colours and boldly flashes across the screen. But as for the director, who to his credit does a good job with this movie, I do have a big problem with his name. As far as I am concerned there is only ONE Steve McQueen. Sorry, but calling yourself by that name is just a no-no. In conclusion, this is a powerful yet heartbreaking and evocative drama which brings the reality of slavery into our homes (or theatres, depending on where you watch it!) and goes a long way in trying to educate us who don't understand it. Mind you, the frequent use of the word 'nigger' definitely made me question whether I may have been in fact watching a Tarantino film? I thought it was a very good film. Glad I saw it, got to review it and appreciate it. But it's not something I would want to watch purely to be entertained. Did it deserve the Oscar? ✅Well let's put it this way... YES when compared to an absolutely load of shit such as GRAVITY, but questionable when compared with THE WOLF OF WALL STREET. 7/10

Review date: 15 July 2025