12 Years a Slave Film Review

     I discovered the film critic Robbie Collin who took on the task to give her thoughts in a 12 Years a Slave movie review.

Hanging Scene in film 12 Years a Slave Illustrating the Struggle for African Americans to just keep their Lives

Paraphrase:

    The film 12 Years a Slave has greatly outmatched all competitor movies taking on the topic of slavery in American. Although the topic of slavery for film is not a common occurrence and quite controversial this movie is still described as the the best film taking on this topic. In the beginning of the movie, the audience is left shocked with the protagonist and his life in New York. This movie is about slavery and we follow Solomon Northup, a free black man in upstate New York. It isn't until Solomon is kidnapped when we understand how Solomon fits into the slavery scene. After his kidnapping, Solomon was shipped to a plantation in slave owning Louisiana in 1841. This approach on slavery is widely unique and gives it individuality from other big pictures such as Gone With the Wind and Mandingo. Films such as these are scarce but 12 Years a Slave leaves that in the past and give us one of those mature and needed "films that unpick slavery’s all-debasing power-plays, enumerate its everyday horrors, show us the rhythms and rituals that have left it lingering in that nation’s muscle memory." This film never rolls the punches and gives the audience a break, it is full on the racism and physical violence and names calling to Solomon and many other African Americans. The fact that not to long ago Solomon was a free man in New York and now subject to immense suffering strikes deep in peoples hearts because none of what is going on in the movie to fair or right. After being sold to Ford, the Louisiana plantation owner, Solomon finds himself with an overseer at the plantation and it nearing killed by hanging from a tree by his neck. With a noose around his neck Solomon can barely reach the muddy ground beneath him in order to not suffocate and the camera does not flinch and focuses and zooms on Solomon's struggle to just not suffocate and survive his cruel punishment. Not soon after this, while Solomon is on a different plantation, field girl Patsy is being repetitively whipped by the master and eventually Solomon is forced to continue the to whip the girl by his own hands. These two people in the common task of surviving are now forced to whip one another and the audience is made to watch all the events that occur. Because of unique and mature included scenes and story "12 Years a Slave isn’t simply a masterpiece, it’s a milestone."