Movie Review on 12 Years A Slave

“It speaks to the courage and perseverance of one man, the savagery of many, and the
potential for either in us all. So overpowering is the simple yet horrible truth embedded
within the film.” -Steven Rea

Now how would you put it better? The film “12 Years A Slave,” speaks truth about the
brutality of slavery in every angle along the endearing perspective of a free man,
captured and enslaved, and then sent to another land far away to work on a plantation.
Imagine that. And it all started after meeting two strangers. Who knew your whole life
could turn upside-down just like that?

The characters in the film wore the perfect masks in portraying the movie, giving the
appropriate portrayals for the time period the movie was set in. The film “12 Years A
Slave” was produced on the account of Solomon Northup, a true to life person during
the slave era in America, whom also is the protagonist for the film. The savagery and
brutality shown within the movie accurately represents what African-Americans have
gone through, given the harsh tasks and merciless punishments given to the slaves.

Different masters, different treatment. The treatment of the slaves depended upon their
masters, but mostly, as we can see in the movie, almost every slave owners treat their
slaves like livestock. There was one instance in the movie in which a master treated its
slaves quite differently from others out there, treating them as laborers, almost free
men, rather than livestock for hire. Like the one when Solomon, also known as “Platt,”
was sold to a plantation owner named William Ford. He was different from the rest of
the owners as he gave Platt a bit of responsibility to take for his field, like when Platt
was allowed to take charge upon slaves to clear out an area.
Although there may exist other masters like Ford, there is no doubt that brutality and
violence runs rampant among slavery. As we have been shown in the film, being a slave
is not an easy thing. You get berated, beaten, and even whipped when things don’t go
well. The role of violence in slavery is to give the slaves fear, something to avoid, and
that’s the whip. And thus, fear is engraved into their hearts and takes away their hope,
will, and courage to try and escape.

For the most part, watching Solomon getting beaten by a wooden paddle as he stated
that he was a free man hurt me the most. It was difficult to watch a free man, whom
earned his reputation, oppressed like that. He never stopped claiming to be a citizen,
until the wooden paddle was replaced for a leather belt, but he still went on. He had
courage and resilience that no one else had to claim that he was a free man.

The film depicts the horrible truth of us humans, as portrayed by the slave owners, and
also the hope and courage within us as portrayed by Solomon Northup. It speaks to the
courage and resilience of one man, the savagery of many, and the potential, for both
good and for ill, in us all.