12 Years a Slave (2013)

Director: Steve McQueen
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender
Runtime: 134 minutes

Synopsis: In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

Performances: 5/5
Screenplay: 5/5
Costumes/Makeup: 5/5
Editing: 5/5
Cinematography: 5/5
Score/Soundtrack: 5/5

Verdict: "12 Years a Slave" is no easy watch. In fact, it's possibly one of the most depressing movies of the current century. But similarly to "Schindler's List", I'd qualify it as an essential watch that needs to be experienced at least once by everybody.

The movie follows the true story of Solomon Northup who, despite being a respected free man, was kidnapped and sold to slavery in the mid-1800s. Directed by Steve McQueen, the film paints this dark era in human history in a brutal, upsetting way that makes the experience of watching it an intense and unsettling one. McQueen doesn't shy away from excessively using violence and long, disturbing takes to show the inhumane way slaves were treated back then. Hans Zimmer's score adds a lot of melancholia and angst to the narrative but it's the heavily emotional performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o that make the film feel more than just a film. Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, and Benedict Cumberbatch all do an equally fantastic job at playing the despicable characters responsible for the misfortunes of the leads as well.

"12 Years a Slave" is technically masterfully shot but what makes it such a powerful movie is the fact that it makes you feel like you're actually watching a dark chapter in our history unfold in front of your eyes. It will make you feel like absolute crap and that's exactly how you know that it succeeded at doing what it was supposed to do.

FINAL GRADE: 10/10