Full disclosure: I am a descendent of slave owners. However, it doesn’t take a sordid family history to be struck by the stark anguish of Solomon Northup’s (Chiwetel Ejiofor) captivity in 12 Years a Slave.
After being seized by duplicitous slavers in 1841, New York resident and free man Solomon is held against his will for—you guessed it, twelve years—by two different slave owners. Solomon, who is renamed Platt without his knowledge or permission, is owned first by Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), and then by Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender).
These two men fall far from each other on the spectrum of compassion. Ford is benevolent and clearly uncomfortable with ownership of a fellow human. He treats Solomon with respect, but not as an equal. This dynamic between Ford and Solomon should have been explored further. 12 Years a Slave intends to make viewers face the harsh realities of slavery, and, in many cases, slave owners were not crazed sadists. Often, they were passive participants in an inhumane system, an idea that makes us uneasy and forces us to look at the oppressive structures we play right into today. But unfortunately, the film moves on too quickly to spark much contemplation.
Contrastingly, Epps is exactly what viewers expect of a slave owner. He enjoys inflicting pain and is wildly jealous of anyone who threatens his hold on his property. In this case, property includes the exquisite Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o). Though 12 Years a Slave is Nyong’o’s film debut, she is magnificent as the tragic Patsey. Ejiofor is a relative newcomer as well, but I fully expect Best Actor nominations for him during awards season.
Solomon’s struggle to retain his identity is what makes this film a masterpiece. He transforms from a proud, self-assured person into a hunched, deferent slave. Initially, he insists, “I don’t want to survive, I want to live.” But later he chastises a fellow slave for weeping over the loss of her children, saying simply, “I survive.”
By the end of the film, few vestiges of Solomon’s initial identity remain. Despite this transformation, he eventually secures his freedom. Epps’s plantation blurs into nothingness as Solomon rides away, but Patsey’s plaintive wail rips a hole in the satisfaction viewers expect from this one-man emancipation. Solomon may be free, but millions of others remain enslaved against their will.
We repeatedly watch Solomon commit acts which seemed unthinkable only moments before, begging the question: How far would we go to survive? Is it worth it to compromise principles merely to eke out existence? Director Steve McQueen asks these difficult questions in his film adaptation of Solomon Northup’s autobiography of the same name.
It’s clear why so many stars were attracted to this project, including Brad Pitt and Paul Giamatti. Yet their random appearances as minor characters distract from the film’s power. Hans Zimmer’s score borrows heavily from his Inception work, with some added clanking to remind you that you’re watching a movie about slavery. But despite all these heavy hitters, the film’s true value remains with rookies Ejiofor and Nyong’o.
McQueen, writer and director of Shame, brings the same discomfiting thoughtfulness to 12 Years a Slave. Nudity and gratuitous n-word usage prove more heartbreaking than offensive.
To add disorientation to discomfort, shots often cut abruptly from darkness to light. This both echoes the visceral pain Solomon faces as an enslaved free man, and forces viewers are to confront a distant but devastating reality.
Fortunately, we have left slavery behind as a nation, but Solomon’s journey serves to illustrate struggles we can never forget. In perhaps the most haunting shot in the film, Solomon looks left, right, and around the camera. Then, for a fleeting moment, he stares straight at the audience.
McQueen’s cinematography is so masterful that it leaves you wondering if this was really a break in the fourth wall. But whether or not Solomon catches your eyes, 12 Years a Slave looks straight into your soul.
