by Maxwell Meyers
Left: Chiwetel Ejiofor in Steve McQueen's film
Last
night, I finally made it to the theater to see "12 Years a Slave," a
film that has been on the awards radar seemingly forever. Since its premiere, I have heard phrases like
"front runner" and "shoe-in" bandied about, and I am here
to tell you that not only are such statements justified, but that “12 Years a
Slave” is one of the greatest films of the year. Its images may seem abnormal at times, but they’re
so raw, artistic and emotionally-driven that it's hard not to get swept away by
the film.
For those who haven't heard, “12
Years a Slave” is about Solomon Northup, a free man (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor)
who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in pre-civil war America, circa
1841. From there, the film tells the
true story of how Solomon was separated from his wife and children for twelve
years and forced to live the terrible life he had only heard about. But “12 Years a Slave” also stars a bevy of
supporting characters and big names that are just as well-rounded and fully-formed
as Solomon and Mr. Ejiofor. Paul
Giamatti, for example, may only appear in ten minutes of the film, but I still feel
that I have a very clear idea of who his character (the slave trader Theophilus
Freeman) is and what makes him a terrible person.
Of course, the depth of the
characters should also be credited to director Steve McQueen, who uses his film
to paint portraits like none other.
Amazingly, he has created a movie that is simultaneously ugly and
beautiful, something he accomplishes by staging long shots (with
cinematographer Sean Bobbit) of skies and characters faces—images that are like
a breath of fresh air taken between the terrible things that are happening on
screen. And, in a similarly striking
way, Mr. McQueen often places Solomon off-center in the frame, allowing us to
see what is happening in the background of many scenes. The result of this technique is that sometimes
during a scene of brutality, you can see white and black people alike carrying
on as if nothing were happening, as if the torture and cruelty of slavery were
just a fact of life that one just gets used to, before moving on.
And yet, Mr. McQueen’s achievement
extends beyond such simple virtuosity because he hasn’t just made a great
movie—he’s made one that keeps its audience in mind. Every once in a while, a director will make a
film that feels more like an art piece, a work that most film goers can’t understand
entirely (a great example is Terrence Malick's “The Tree Of Life,” a truly
beautiful movie that is also hard to follow and perhaps too abstract). But for Mr. McQueen, this is never a problem—in
“12 Years,” he manages to successfully pull in artful moments and place them
between horrific happenings, breaking up the brutality and emphasizing his
points.
By far, my favorite instance of this occurs during a scene when
a group of slaves have a funeral for one of their comrades. After a moment of silence, the camera focuses
on Solomon’s face, followed by a boom of thunder and a close-up of a female
slave. Then, she begins to sing a spiritual
and Mr. McQueen and editor Joe Walker linger on her for a while before cutting
away. It’s just one example of how there
is so much emotion in the movie that it’s impossible not get whisked away by
all of it; indeed, the singing nearly brought me to tears.
In short, Mr. McQueen has made a
powerful film and those of you who follow the Academy Awards race as closely as
I do should expect “12 Years a Slave” to be the most nominated film of the
year—I believe it will receive nods for best picture, actor, supporting
actress, adapted screenplay, score, production design, cinematography, costumes,
sound editing and mixing, and quite possibly best supporting actor. And even though Mr. McQueen is not one for
glad handing (which is a major part of the awards season), I would say that
best director is very possible as well—there is no denying that he has produced
something truly wonderful and if he wins best director, he’ll achieve an
important milestone by becoming the first African American to receive the
trophy.
But that moment is still to
come. For now, there’s another matter to
discuss—the fact that as a movie reviewer, I usually have to pick out something
that a film could have improved upon. But
amazingly, I would not change a thing about “12 Years a Slave.” The movie, in my personal opinion, is perfect
and you should do yourself a favor and see it before it leaves theaters,
whether or not you pay attention to the Academy Awards.
Grade:
A+
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