Tell It Like It Is

12 Years A Slave revealed the most grueling, unforgettable portrayal of the “institution” of slavery that I have ever witnessed and gives us the reality that all of our souls have been craving: a simple real truth. The depiction of the indignities of human cruelty, loss, loneliness, forced captivity, depravity and suffering. For those who believe that it happened so long ago and there should be no open wounds, need only be reminded that for as long as it took to succeed in years of human captivity it may take more lifetimes for the wounds to heal. 

Director/producer Steve McQueen gives us an emblazoned view of real history. The emphasis of truth  which they neglect to teach in American history. I give my applause to all of the actors who were a part of this journey with my entire heart and soul…

Stunning in her  debut  film performance, Lupita Nyong'o gave a wrenching depiction as Patsey whose longing for an end to her torment brought her to find a solution in the unthinkable… Chiwetel Ejiofor  superbly plays Solomon Northrup with dignity, compassion, anger and torment all at the same time.  Michael Fassbender portrays the contorted plantation patriarch Edwin Epps. He characterizes Epps brilliantly with dimensions that were twisted, conflicted and merged with senseless cruelty.  

Director Steve McQueen  (center) with  12 years cast ensemble.

Looking at cast pictures of this ensemble of actors outside of the film shows how seriously these film artists took their roles to give us the stunning reality. The contrast is breathtaking and it’s apparent that these new actors are destined for more great renderings in future. Their performances challenged my emotions.  My emotions went everywhere. 

Evidently, I’m not alone in my impression of 12 Years A Slave which has successfully shown us something that its predecessors in cinema had yet to bring to the screen with this much authenticity. The critics cannot say enough about this film.  I have a natural affinity for ignoring film critics, but this time we’re on the same page.

12 Years A Slave is a must see, a history lesson, a platform for healing, a taste of America’s brutal reality of how it harbored success as a nation: on the backs of free black labor. It is a story of how human beings are stripped of their dignity and identity and forced to accept their plight and believe that they were nothing but chattel.

This isn't Disney with  a former slave singing a happy tune about what a wonderful day it is complacent about his human condition. (What a subliminal message.) This is not DJango, which in comparison to 12 Years reveals a quiet air of buffoonery in contrast. This is not Roots which made prime-time television history  This, 12 Years A Slave, is a film whose time has come.

Black directors and producers lend a better truth and accuracy to period pieces of this genre regarding black history with a lens that allows the viewer to emote just from the genius of presentation.

12 years and the The Butler puts it out there and the viewer, regardless of ethnicity has to come to terms with it in their own personal way.  I like this refreshing bond of viewer and filmmaker. What further seals the bond is the candid portrayals of the actors. And not just the same 5 or 6 black actors we see all the time in films with characters of color.. 

My problem with The Help was the way the backdrop of history was minimized in a “it wasn't that bad scenario” of bogus "what ifs".  (see blog Mammy How I Love Ya) The only thing  that really saved the film was the performances of the actors. 

With more films by black filmmakers coming to the fore with history based works on film we have  hope for a better truth and reality in works like 12 years. We can anticipate future film efforts which  give the history lesson the youth of our nation deserve. You can put away those history books that gave slavery about 1 or 2 pages of text. Real film with depictions of real truths are here and no one, no one, will be able to step away from it.