12 Years a Slave

Many films dealing with the ugly legacy of slavery in the United States tend to tiptoe around the truth or to reassure moviegoers that such times are ancient history.

By contrast, 12 Years a Slave pulls no punches, both literally and figuratively. It is a bold and uncompromising vision of the Deep South in the mid-19th century that provides a visceral glimpse into the horrors of slavery and racial politics in the country just prior to the Civil War.

Perhaps most importantly, the film puts a name and face on the victims of this injustice in the form of Solomon Northup, a free man who was abducted and forced to spend more than a decade away from his family while being physically and psychologically tortured.

Specifically, Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a New York violinist who wakes up in shackles following a performance in Washington, D.C. His horrifying journey takes him to a ruthless slave trader (Paul Giamatti), who sells him to a pious plantation owner (Benedict Cumberbatch) with an evil ranch hand (Paul Dano). Then he’s transferred to a violent businessman (Michael Fassbender) whose treatment of Northup stems from his suspicions about an affair with a young female slave (Lupita Nyong’o).

The film’s ultraviolent approach doesn’t shy away from the hangings, whippings and other abuses — nor does it exploit them for emotional manipulation. It’s designed to make viewers uncomfortable as they confront history, and the sheer brutality likely will make some moviegoers cringe.

Director Steve McQueen (Shame) shows a keen eye for visual details in his most ambitious project yet. The film quieter moments are its most powerful, as it portrays the everyday lives of both the slaves and the plantation workers. Sure, the line between heroes and villains is almost exclusively divided by race, but it’s more complicated than that.

The screenplay by John Ridley (Red Tails), which is adapted from Northup’s memoir, feels somewhat embellished and includes sentimental tendencies amid a story that is remarkably courageous on its own. Ejiofor, who is on screen in almost every shot, demonstrates a terrific balance of strength and vulnerability, both in his dialogue and his body language.

Maybe it’s a unique outside perspective that allowed British natives McQueen and Ejiofor to combine on one of the most authentic and emotionally resonant films about American slavery. Regardless, 12 Years a Slave has a haunting emotional resonance.

Rated R, 133 minutes.