Review of 12 Years a Slave (2013) by Michelle R — 01 Aug 2014

Winner of 3 Oscars including Best Picture, "12 Years a Slave" was a dramatic & quite tragic film - it was based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a free man who was captured & enslaved for 12 years, during which he was placed under heavy contempt from the slave owners & both he & other slaves received extreme harsh treatment.

The acting, accompanied by Steve McQueen's direction, was very powerful & well done (Chiwetel Ejiofor & Michael Fassbender were nominated for Oscars; Lupita Nyong'o won hers). The settings were excellent in portraying the time of slavery in the South during the 19th Century.

And most importantly, the film was very faithful to Northup's memoir of his duration as a slave; he & every other person who were enslaved earn my deepest sympathies. Without a doubt THE best film of 2013 & one of the best films of the 2010s, "12 Years a Slave" is a sad, yet touching drama film that many will never forget!