Based
in part on a true story from a 19th century best selling memoir. Solomon Northup is a free black man
from upstate New York in the pre-Civil War period. He goes out with two gentlemen he just met and he gets very
drunk. He is abducted, wakes up to
find himself in chains and is sold into slavery. He faces extreme cruelty but also some unexpected kindness
while working on a plantation in New Orleans. He struggles to stay alive but he also tries to keep his
dignity. After twelve years as a
salve, he meets and man from Canada who is an abolitionist. Solomon asks him to write to his family
in New York to let them know he’s still alive and explain why he never came
home.
There
was a lot of brutality in Django Unchained but “you ain’t seen nothing yet” until
you have viewed this film. As in
the film Precious, we were forced to watch what we didn’t want to see. McQueen also directed Hunger about the
1981 Irish hunger strike and Shame about sex addiction. I cannot say that this is enjoyable
viewing. It may be
historically and technically accurate plus critically acclaimed but this is not
“entertainment!” 3* (This movie is
OK)
134
min, Bio directed by Steve McQueen with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael K. Williams,
Michael Fassbender, Dickie Gravois, Bryan Batt, Ashley Dyke, Kelsey Scott,
Alfre Woodard, Lupita Nyong’o, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson,
Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano.
Note? Imdb 8.3 out of 10, 97% critic 91%
audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*.
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