12 Years A Slave (February 2014)

Official Australian release date: 30/1/14. Viewed: 1/2/14.

Director: Steve McQueen

Actors: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o   
Genre: Drama / True Story
Rating: MA

First up, a few warnings: this is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of graphic torture and despicable things which the camera does not shy away from. This is obviously to hit home the ugly truth of the reality of slavery and America’s sorry past, but it’s very unpleasant to watch. It’s also quite slow and long – 2 hours 15min.

It could’ve used more of the support cast, since Giamatti, Dano, Cumberbatch and Pitt do a good job, but it’s a true story, so there’s only so much creative liberty they could’ve taken. Most of the film just makes you sad, angry and anguished for Solomon (Ejiofor), wishing you could do something or he and the other slaves would rebel, but that was their reality and it’s a harsh pill to swallow.

There’s no humour or light-hearted moments to lighten the mood – and arguably there shouldn’t be – but it’s definitely no ‘Django Unchained’ when you compare their entertainingness. That’s not really the directors fault, but I feel it could have been paced a little better – and there seemed to be lots of scenes with Solomon just staring wide-eyed (see above!).

Overall: Some great acting – including Fassbender’s lush red beard – and a harrowing tale, with a very touching finale, but something doesn’t quite click, leaving you feeling a little numb afterwards.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.