Review: 12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave.  It's about slavery.  This is the part of the post where I'm supposed to be funny.  About slavery.  As a caucasian male.  And not be offensive.  Should be easy.

So uhhh, yeah slavery was pretty uncool, right guys?  Yeah I think I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead on this one.  I'll make more jokes when I'm talking about films with a lighter subject, like Dallas Buyers Club! (It's about AIDS, you have to know that for that joke to be funny.)

In All Seriousness:

Directed by: Steve McQueen

Written by: John Ridley

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'O, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Michael Kenneth Williams

As of now, Steve McQueen (not to be confused with the American actor of the same name, who died in 1980) has a perfect filmography.  He has directed a total of 3 films: Hunger, Shame, and now 12 Years a Slave, all 3 of which are fantastic.  I look forward to every film he makes and will make in the future because he is without a doubt an extremely talented director.

There are a lot of technical aspects of this film that people who are interested in that stuff (me) will enjoy thoroughly.  The cinematography is beautiful.  The color schemes and use of locations in this film are a joy to look at, and seem to brighten the mood slightly despite the horrible acts of violence that take place during some of these shots.  One of my favorite shots of the entire film is of a close-up of embers from a fire, and the camera stays on it until the embers are completely put out.  It's a simple, but effective shot.

One thing McQueen has done in his 2 previous films, and continued the trend with this film was lingering on a shot for a while before cutting away.  He does this multiple times throughout '12 Years,' staying on a subject for maybe longer than he even should, but that's might be the reason I like it.  He doesn't want you to see something else just yet, he's created this wonderful shot (usually during very hard to watch shots such as a female's face as she's being whipped or a slave that is being hung) and he wants you to look at it for a while.

The final thing I'd like to mention is this film's superb acting.  Every year there is usually one film that is nominated for most, if not all of the acting awards.  12 Years a Slave will absolutely be that film.  Chiwetel Ejiofor (for Lead Actor), Lupita Nyong'O (for Supporting Actress), and Michael Fassbender (for Supporting Actor) are not only locks for being nominated, but I would not be surprised if they won in any of these categories.  Ejiofor and Nyong'O lead some of the more emotional scenes in the film, and they do it with ease.  This couldn't have been an easy film to act in, but the two make 12 Years a Slave as powerful as it is.  Michael Fassbender is the main antagonist, and he plays the villainous slave owner Epps perfectly.  He is one of my favorite actors working today, and it's always a joy to see him in any film.

12 Years a Slave is a very safe choice if you're looking to see one of the better films made this year.

Rating: 9/10

~Ryan Moncrief