12 YEARS A SLAVE: a breakthrough film about slavery

A glimpse, a gorgeously made one, into the horror of slavery. Amazing that this film which is the truest I’ve ever seen about slavery, was made by a British director, Steve McQueen, as if Hollywood was scared to fully reveal our own history, what we are capable of. And all under the guise of being devout Christians!

Because it’s based on the true story written by Solomon Northrup, snatched from his relatively prosperous life in Saratoga Srings, NY, and sold into slavery, it has detailed material that no one could have known from other sources.

I wish it had a happy ending, but even though one man is freed, you can’t forget all the people who had to stay on the plantations, and the lack of justice for Northrup to had so much stolen from him.

Brilliant performances by Michael Fassbinder as the sexually perverse, drunken, insane plantation owner and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northrup and Patsey as Lupita Nyon’o.

A shortcoming of this film is that some of the violence could have been suggested instead of developed to the point where you’re watching the skin being flayed off a woman slave’s back as she’s whipped naked. It’s as if the filmmaker was seduced by sadism.