Remarkable film inspired by real events is unlike any other, writes Mark Orton.
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt
Rating: (R16)
5 stars out of 5
How a British director managed to make such a profound statement about slavery in the United States is one thing, but cajoling such riveting performances from his cast is quite another. Although this isn't just any cast and 12 Years a Slave isn't just any film.
Film has been relatively kind when dealing with the horrors of slavery. Yes, there are some notable exceptions, but by and large this is subject material that has either been completely overlooked or strangely sentimentalised. So when director Steve McQueen (Shame), was shown the 1858 memoir of Solomon Northup, he determined to breathe life into a story that is all the more remarkable for the fact that it hadn't already been adapted for the screen.
A free man living in New York, Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is swindled into believing he has a gig as a travelling musician only to wake up drugged, in chains, and en route to New Orleans where he is renamed Platt and sold into slavery.
Once again pairing up with Michael Fassbender, McQueen unleashes the actor's nasty brilliance in the form of Edwin Epps, a plantation owner with a penchant for physical abuse.
However, it's little known Ejiofor who packs the heftiest emotional punch. While there will be conjecture about the accuracy of Northup's account and liberties taken by the film-makers, events mirroring those depicted did happen and however hard it is to watch, 12 Years a Slave is extraordinary.
Best thing: Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance.
Worst thing: The ignominious legacy of slavery.
See it with: A friend, a partner, a relative or simply by yourself ... just see it.
