Review of 12 Years a Slave

The portrayal of slavery during this film was astonishingly raw. By this I mean certain scenes throughout the film, such as the whipping of Patsey, contain brutal content and last for a significant amount of time. During this specific scene, the camera does not look away from Patsey or skip to another less brutal shot of the scene thus making it more hard and upsetting to watch. This is what it would have been like for many slaves, in constant fear of being whipped and the excruciating pain they would have felt during and afterword.

The film highlights the differing views and attitudes of a few slave owners, for example Ford, played by Cumberbatch and Epps, played by Fassbender. Ford is somewhat kind and grateful for the work his slaves do for him whereas Epps considers his slaves his property and that he shall do whatever he wishes with them, whether it be reward or punishment. The main character Solomon causes some trouble for Ford and although Solomon is sent away, Ford risks his life to protect him. Could this be genuine kindness or a man seeking to protect his investment in this slave?

Another scene in the film that was interesting was where the slaves ran into a group of Native Americans. They then proceeded to come together and build a fire and share a meal. The natives also performed a dance, possibly a specific one for the slaves, whilst the slaves watched. It was interesting how these two groups of people came together, unaware of each others existence's and shared a peaceful meal together. There was no violence, a sheer contrast to the treatment shown to slaves and natives by white Americans who appear to be scared or suspicious of anyone who is not white.

Throughout the film, it is clear that Solomon's hopes to return to his family as a free man seem to die as he realizes there is little chance of escape, as he is betrayed by an ex-overseer who said he would deliver a letter to his family. He also takes part in singing a song, "Roll, Jordan, Roll", at a funeral with the other slaves in which we see Solomon break down and even give in to his current situation and show his anger and sadness by singing with the other slaves. Later on in the film, he is seen to break his violin on purpose, a significant image throughout the film as it is his only joy whilst being a slave. The violin could also be seen as a symbol of slavery, as many of his masters make him play the instrument for their own amusement. After breaking the violin, this would make the audience feel as if Solomon had completely lost all hope for escaping and returning to his family.

The ending was extremely emotional for myself and the audience. Instead of showing happiness to his family, Solomon breaks down and cries and apologizes for having been gone for so long. This shows how Solomon completely blames himself for ending up being a slave, as he trusted those men who promised him great fortune at the beginning of the film.