12 Years A Slave!!!!

12 Years A Slave.

When it comes to true life stories their is one film this year that will really hit hard and leave a big impression on many people. That film is of course '12 Years A Slave', the true life story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) a free man and father abducted and forced into slavery.

From the very start of when he is taken you are shocked by the intense violence that is forced upon him, a wooden panel is struck multiple times on his back causing immense pain and only stops when it shatters into pieces. From then on in the film is pretty much none stop and shows every single dark harsh corner and bright white lights that darken and illuminates the slaves lives.

Northup of course moves from plantation to plantation, first in the care of William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) he becomes close to him and Ford eventually gives him a violin for him to play. Scuffling with John Tibeats (Paul Dano) and attempted to be hung he is moved into the care of Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) a man stating that scripture allows him to abuse his slaves. While in his care he meets a young woman Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) who is Epp's favourite as she picks the most cotton from his cotton field crops. 

Struggling to get through to any of his masters Northup tries to tell his story and state that he is a free man and it is a big mistake but to no avail. He never gives up and carries on with life in the knowledge that one day he will be a free man again and be reunited with his wife and children. All of the slaves endure constant abuse, fights break out and in some harrowing scenes they are whipped until their back is blood red and cut right open. 

For a film that is of such dark and at times harrowing to watch on screen you can also see the hope, the light and the determination of Solomon Northup. Every aspect of his life is shown, his family life, his life on the plantation and how he remains hardy and never loses heart to his final release. You really do go through the motions with Solomon, you cringe and wince at his abuse, you root for him during his own motivational speeches and you smile and nearly cry at his final freedom and meeting of his family after nearly over a decade of being a slave. 

It is a truly impressive and emotional film that is a film to certainly stand the test of time, people will talk of this film in years to come and state it as a true story of slavery and adversity. It truly does deserve to gain such high accolades, Ejiofor and Nyong'o stand out and really do bring out their characters with such ease.

9/10.