The story is just as you would expect - a freeman is sold into slavery amidst a drug-induced kidnapping, and with his rights stripped, he is sold throughout the South, working plantation to plantation. This man is Solomon Northup. This man is also Chiwetel Ejiofor. You may recognize him from some smaller roles (Children of Men, for one), but start practicing that pronounciation. We will be hearing his name many times this award season.
What an ode to life, to God, to identity, to faith, to hope, and to despair. The absolute good and absolute evil in men. I can't recall a movie that has come remotely close in terms of packing such an emotional punch. Ever. Forget last year's saccharin 'Django Unchained,' this is the movie that cinema has been afraid to show - delving deep into America's dark, brutal past in regards to slavery, perhaps the best movie made on the subject yet.
The power is in little scenes. We see a mother have her children ripped from her arms and sold, the salesman casually demonstrating how high the woman's 8 year old son can kick his knees. It's in scenes where Northup is strung up by a noose, barely supporting his weight on his tip toes and slipping in the mud, and his fellow slaves continuing their work without a care as he grasps to life (one long, unsettling take, no less). A scene where a slave woman is beaten to within an inch of her life, not only by her master, but by her friend (perhaps the single-most disturbing and powerful scene in any movie I can recall).
We have only Steve McQueen to thank. Known for his one-word indie flicks (Hunger, Shame), he makes a powerful debut to mainstream cinema with one of the best-directed movies in years. He guides a miracle cast through the darkest of times, but never without hope that freedom will one day come.
McQueen is a regular employer of Michael Fassbender, who here plays a villainous plantation owner named Epps. Villainous isn't even remotely close - think Amon Goth from 'Schindler's List.' He is fowl, cruel, drunk, pitiful. A terrifying performance, all the more impressive having seen Fassbender's previous work. The object of his desire happens to be one of his slaves, Patsey (played in a startling debut by Lupita Nyong'o). She is young, shy, and unlike Solomon, she has absolutely given up hope, settled in a life of constant rape and torture. We hear her beg Solomon to end her life, and when he protests, she reminds him that God is merciful. She has some of the quietest (and best-written) scenes as well as some of the most tragic. If there is any justice in the Academy, Nyong'o and Fassbender will soon be graced with deserved Oscar nominations.
But of course, Chiwetel Ejiofor. In years to come, perhaps they will say this was the role he was born to play. He is a kind man, smart, talented at the violin and with manual labor. He works to survive, holding on to the last shred of hope that his wife and two children will see him again. His work is an emotional powerhouse, draining and so full of passion. Can they simply give him the Oscar now?
From Hans Zimmer's brooding, oftentimes modern score (oftentimes reminiscent of 'There Will Be Blood'), the gorgeous cinematography that emphasizes the setting of the deep south, to the breathtaking dialogue adapted from the memoir Solomon Northup wrote himself, the movie flows effortlessly into the realm of 'great cinema' even as you're watching it.
Every now and again, a movie comes along that is the perfect marriage of talent and craftsmanship. It's extremely rare. Think 'Gone With The Wind,' 'The Godfather,' 'No Country For Old Men,' 'Casablanca...' This is one such film. To linger with my thoughts after seeing it only heightens my adoration. I can't remember the last time a movie left me with so many tears, so many thoughts, so many emotions. This movie has left an indelible mark.
(Awards potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Ejiofor), Best Supporting Actor (Fassbender), Best Supporting Actress (Nyong'o), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing)
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