12 Years a Slave (2013)

12 Years a Slave

• Perhaps one of the most eye-opening pieces of media about slavery I’ve seen, this one absolutely tears you up. I was left totally shocked by the end, and I’ll tell you why. Throughout school and history classes, you only learn about slavery, but with this movie, you physically get to see it, which is both educational and also tragic. It’s a hard thing to sit through, but I absolutely believe everyone should see this movie. The story of Solomon Northup is sad but also, in a way, inspirational. I don’t want to say that I liked watching his story, as it wasn’t always enjoyable because of the situation he was in. However, it was definitely intriguing. The reason this movie has a lower Enjoyment Score than I expected was because it did feel long, and obviously, there were some disturbing scenes that were difficult to see. However, I did enjoy a lot of the movie. The acting was absolutely spot on, and the whole thing was perfectly cast. The obvious star of the movie was Chiwetel Ejiofor. He shows so much pain and emotion in every scene, which helps deliver the painful message the movie displays. The rest of the cast was great, as you get a good performance from Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, and Benedict Cumberbatch. I definitely didn’t enjoy the actual characters of most of the white guys, but they did a good job of showing the racism that exists. The music was really good as well. The original score was sometimes depressing but also hopeful towards the end. I also loved the use of some traditional African hymns/singing, which greatly gives the movie an authentic feel. The clothes and setting also helped with that. Overall, this movie was absolutely incredible, although it was very hard to stomach. But, I believe everyone should watch this at least once, as you can learn from the evils of humanity and how not to repeat our mistakes. Also, you learn how to respect everyone for who they are, which everyone needs to do. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!