Forget about racism. Forget about this film being just an Oscar bait, or whatever negative people say about 12 Years a Slave. I'm just gonna tell you why this is such an epic film for me, without expounding on its socio-political/historical relevance.
McQueen's patient direction in contrast with the cast's intense & nuanced acting, along with the awesome music makes this unbearably painful film beautiful. His scenes are so atmospheric, you can't help but get chills because you feel the weight of everything you're seeing. Even when there's seemingly nothing going on, it's actually those scenes where you feel the most.
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| Directed by: Steve McQueen (Shame) Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lupita Nyong'o Screenplay by: John Ridley (Undercover Brother) Based on Twelve Years a Slave (Solomon Northup) Music by: Hans Zimmer Cinematography by: Sean Bobbitt (The Place Beyond the Pines, Shame) Editing by: Joe Walker (Shame) Running Time: 134 mins Budget: $20 million Box Office: over $97 million |
Before watching this, I was really rooting for Leonardo DiCaprio to win Best Actor. I still am (because I effin' love Leo!!), but I really think that Chiwetel Ejiofor deserves to win this award. With Michael Fassbender's awesome-in-a-psychotic-way Master Epps to torment Solomon Northup (Ejiofor), Chiwetel's subtle acting (suffering) resonates all the more. They complement each other. I love every bit of screen time they share together.
The cast is great. Even the smallest actors on set gave great performances. It shocked me that the scene which made me cry (the first time) was not because of the main characters, but from someone who I only saw for several seconds. The scene where Patsey was being given some salve for her back, the woman applying it caught my attention. Suffering in silence, forced to accept whatever fate their masters decide for them, all they can do is cry silently - that's what I got from that woman's acting. It was actually so great that Lupita's scene was overshadowed because I was already bawling like a hungry kitten even before the camera zooms into her anguish-filled expression.
