Sitting in an air-conditioned auditorium of a multiplex & holding a
bucket full of buttered popcorn in one hand and the iced cola glass in the
other, if I would dare to confirm that I could actually feel the pain of
slavery in the proclaimed measure, either I would be lying or the creation is
truly empathetic. I would save myself from going either ways. Steve McQueen’s
potential sweepstake at Oscars and a real-life drama ’12 YEARS A SLAVE’ does
make me uncomfortable with the impact of brutality in the storytelling. It also
succeeds in evoking my angst against this unkind, inhuman ill-practice called
slavery but not the way Tarantino orchestrate in DJANGO UNCHAINED or Spielberg
embraces in AMISTAD & SCHINDLER’S LIST. I am not overwhelmed.
Based on the memoirs of Solomon Northup, 12 YEARS A SLAVE is an
inspiring survival saga of a free Negro’s journey through 12 years of
unfortunate times in the custody of slavery. Kidnapped by two of his
acquaintances, Solomon is now forced to live the life of a slave. His past as
head of the happy family of a loving wife with 2 beautiful kids haunts him to
make a run for life but the necessitate of survival keeps him forever on trade-board
from one master [the generous & bighearted William Ford played by Benedict
Cumberbatch] to another [Michael Fassbender playing Mr. Epps- strong believer
of slavery and inequality of all kinds in human race]. Meanwhile every pain and
sufferings Solomon and his people go through become a significant part of
Solomon’s memoir.
12 YEARS A SLAVE doesn’t stick to linear narrative and moves back &
forth on the timeline to create an effective after-effect of the change in
circumstances. Film’s strength is definitely the ruthlessly real portrayal of
brutality. Man & women getting stripped and whipped till their skin peels
off and showing it on screen without having any apprehension is bad enough to
make you feel gnashing your teeth in anger, desperation and anxiety. Background
score makes varied impressions with thumping sounds, grasping silence and instrumentals
that form ripples of emotions in you. Camerawork is superb. It takes out something
from you in those horrific scenes of torture, rape and hopelessness and fills
you in with conspicuous visuals in daylight especially.
All these and then the performances! Chiwetel Ejiofor is more than just flesh
& bone to Solomon Northup. His gazing empty eyes with a little ray of hope
to find everything in place in the end are totally engaging. He deserves every
inch of Oscar trophy in the category. Film also gets a certain somber touch of realism
with shots that long more than a couple of minutes. In one, you get to see Solomon
being hanged by neck to a tree and he sweats like anything to find his feet on
muddy surface. This one sequence goes on and on till you feel suffocated by
yourself.
Good for some but then this less dramatic approach with all dark,
depressing, gloomy feel & pace to it turns regular and routine after a
point when nothing actually comes forward as a solid storyline and rests merely
on series of incidents. Even the climax comes out of nowhere and merges into
the end very conveniently. The actual events might have happened like that but
if not cherished as awe-inspiring celebration of life at the end, it would be difficult
to rejoice as a good comfortable viewing. Watch it for the performances! [3/5]
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