“You’re an exceptional Nigger, but I fear nothing good will come of it.” quoth plantation owner Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) to Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Solomon is the virtuoso violinist from upstate New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in Down South Georgia in Steve McQueen’s third enthralling feature film, 12 YEARS A SLAVE (MA).
Sold to Ford by the ironically monikered Freeman – another superb characterisation by Paul Giamatti – Solomon must decide to survive by concealing his true identity.
Clandestine as he tries, his education and intellect seep out, pleasing some and raising suspicion and irrational ire in others. White supremacist beliefs bed rocked and cited in scriptures condemn Solomon and his fellow slaves to the same footing as simians, beasts of burden, chattels in chains, to barter, bargain, bash and abuse.
The abuse is astonishing – to the eye and the ear. The verbal abuse is an affront to the aural, all the more so as it is elegantly phrased, an eloquence of evil, cruelty cloaked in courtly lingua.
The physical violence is appalling – lynching, lashing, lascivious rape.
If the slaves, as they said, were merely animals, then these bible bashing barbarians, these holier than thou hypocrites were indulging in bestiality.
With resounding resonance to contemporary catastrophes like Australia’s stolen generation and the people smugglers trafficking in the human misery of refugees, 12 YEARS A SLAVE is a conscience flinching flogging flaying lash lick of a film.
And like last year’s Oscar winning film, the Canadians, in the persona of Mr. Bass played by Brad Pitt, save the day.
Nominated for Best Picture of the Year, 12 Years a Slave(MA) has also garnered Oscar nods for it’s leading man, Chiwetel Ejiofor, supporting actress, Lupita Nyong’o, director, Steve McQueen, editor Joe Walker, costumer, Patricia Norris, production designer, Adam Stockhausen, and screenwriter John Ridley.
This Norris’ sixth crack at Oscar, and at 82 is the oldest nominee at this years line-up, narrowly pipping composer John Williams.
It’s a worthy contender for Oscar glory in all categories nominated and goes some way in rectifying Steve McQueens’ snubbing of his first two stunning projects, HUNGER and SHAME, by the Academy.