Still Life (2013); drama film review

British poster artwork for the drama film Still Life.

Dignified Departures by Linh

Still Life is Italian film-maker Uberto Pasolini’s second feature film as director and writer, following his previous film Machan which dealt with the hardships of people who move to another country to seek wealth and a better life. While Machan had some light-hearted humour juxtaposed with the seriousness of socio-economic conditions and treatment of immigrants, Still Life is gentle and poignant in its depiction of death, connections, relationships, compassion and humanity.

Still Life is deeply moving at times where the main character John May (Eddie Marsan) goes about living his quiet and lonely life while working to “assist” those who have lost theirs. The film opens with John being the only one at three different funeral services for his “clients” and he attends the burial service afterwards. John is a council worker in London, working for the Client Services department, who is tasked with seeking the family of the deceased. Many of the cases involve those who have died alone in their own homes and have no family or no contact with family members for many years. This makes it difficult for John to find his “clients” family to attend funerals and organise burials or cremations. John arranges funerals as a courtesy and out of kindness for the deceased even though family or friends never attend. A curious thing John does, that is possibly not part of his job, is collect photographs of his deceased “clients” and place them inside a large photo album with his other “clients”. It seems creepy but it also shows that he is keeping alive memories of the dead which otherwise their family members should be doing.

After a series of sad cases such as a single lady named Jane Ford who was found dead in her bed at her home and her cat named Susie died shortly after, John comes across a case concerning a middle-aged man named William ‘Billy’ Stoke. Stoke’s case becomes John’s final one as his manager Mr. Pratchard (Andrew Buchan) announces that John’s role will be made redundant due to cost-cutting and he will be “let go” in the next three days. However, John pleads for a few more days to complete Stoke’s case, which gives him more time to find Billy’s family and friends. As John traces the family and work history of Billy, he finds the connections he makes with the Stoke family, especially with Billy’s long-estranged daughter Kelly (Joanne Froggatt), and Billy’s ex-workmates and army friends, provide a better idea of who Billy Stoke was as an individual and not just another “client”.

DEATH DUTIES: John May (Eddie Marsan) speaks with a client's family member who refuses to attend their relative's funeral in the film Still Life. Image: Redwave Films.

Throughout the film, audiences are given a glimpse into a person’s private life according to their material possessions and personal documents. Obviously, people cannot take material possessions with them when they die, yet these physical objects can represent part of a person’s individuality; giving them a name, an identity and leaving behind a history of a person’s life. In the film, John takes some of these possessions, particularly photographs, to help him write eulogies and plan for funerals as the family members often never attend or care about the deceased relative. Therefore, John places more value on the individual than onto the objects, yet in society (usually in capitalist ones), humans are often seen as commodities. The film seems to suggest that commodification is prevalent in modern society, turning underlying human relationships we have with each other into commodities. Hence, John refers to the deceased as his “clients” instead of personally addressing them by their name and his manager sees the deceased in monetary terms. This begins to change when John worked on his final case for Billy Stoke. Not only did he manage to convince family, friends and ex-colleagues to attend Billy’s funeral, he saw other possibilities in his life.

DEPARTED'S DWELLINGS: John May (Eddie Marsan) must visit his deceased clients' homes to seek information for contacting family in the film Still Life. Image: Redwave Films.

Eddie Marsan (The World’s End, God’s Pocket) is excellent as the laconic and meticulous John May, and convincingly portrays a character with a personality that suits his job. John is a reserved and quiet man who pays attention to details and is very organised and orderly about everything he does. He almost seems to possess obsessive compulsive disorder, being very cautious and careful in his personal life as he is at work. John’s personality changes gradually from controlled to spontaneous following the news of his redundancy, yet these changes seem to be more positive than harmful, particularly when he meets Billy’s daughter Kelly. 

Joanne Froggatt is mostly known for her roles in British television dramas such as Coronation Street and Downton Abbey, and she is delightful and wonderful as Kelly in Still Life. Not only is Kelly a romantic interest for John in the film, she is also a catalyst for John’s change in his life’s perspective. He even stops wearing a suit and tie and dresses in colour instead of his usual black coat and white shirt. 

CLOSE CONNECTIONS: Kelly Stoke (Joanne Froggatt) finds a friend in John May (Eddie Marsan) in the film Still Life. Image: Redwave Films.

The supporting cast give some memorable performances such as the two homeless men (Paul Anderson and Tim Potter) who knew Billy very briefly and his ex-colleague Shakthi (Neil D’Souza) at the meat pie factory. These characters represent the disconnect often seen between family, friends or colleagues when a person’s bad or unwise decisions result in disagreements and animosity.

CONSOLING CONVERSATION: John May (Eddie Marsan) buys a bottle of whiskey for two homeless men who knew Billy Stoke to encourage them to attend Billy's funeral in the film Still Life. Image: Redwave Films.

Still Life is a cathartic experience for anyone who has lost a loved one and the film is emotionally-stirring in its simplistic depictions of the deceased who are only seen in photographs and spoken about by others. The film also shows that sometimes we all remember our loved ones differently when they die and the impression left by the deceased may not always be positive, but they will not be forgotten either. This film is a remarkable and must-see independent film from Pasolini and the unexpected ending will leave some audiences teary-eyed or dissatisfied.

Director: Uberto Pasolini

Writers: Uberto Pasolini

Cast: Eddie Marsan, Joanne Froggatt, Andrew Buchan, Neil D’Souza,
Tim Potter, Paul Anderson, Karen Drury, Bronson Webb, Mark Oliver

Producers: Uberto Pasolini, Barnaby Southcombe, Ceri Hughes, Felix
Vossen, Christopher Simon, Marco Valerio Pugini, Michael S. Constable

Original Music Composer: Rachel Portman

Cinematographer: Stefano Falivene

Film Editors: Gavin Buckley, Tracy Granger

Production: Lisa Hall

Costume Designer: Pam Downe

Running Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes

Populaire (2012); romantic comedy film review

French film poster artwork for the romantic comedy film Populaire.

Pastiche Pygmalion Parody by Linh

Populaire is a delightful and charming rom-com (romantic comedy) that only the French can create without the predictability and spoon-feeding aspects of this genre that are often seen in most American contemporary rom-com films. An impressive aspect of this film is the blending of pastiche in imitating the era of the 1950s and the parody of the Pygmalion myth. Populaire uses various references from the American television series Mad Men and the light-hearted American rom-com films of the 1950s such as the style of dress and the attitudes regarding gender roles and expectations. In parodying the Pygmalion myth, Populaire cleverly uses humour and characterisation to depict the “coming to life or awakening” of an independent and strong-willed woman under the guidance of a competitive and suave man.

WORKPLACE WINNER: Rose (Déborah François) excels in all secretarial tasks for her boss Louis (Romain Duris) in the romantic comedy film Populaire. Image: Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company.

Populaire is set during 1958-1959 in the small town of Normandy in France, where a young woman named Rose Pamphyle (Déborah François), who lives with her widowed father Jean (Frédéric Pierrot), is soon to be engaged to the local mechanic’s son. Rose is adamant she will not marry and plans to seek a job instead. One day she takes the typewriter in her father’s shop, inserts a sheet of paper and types her name using her two index fingers. A few months later, Rose travels to Lisieux to apply for a job as a secretary at Echard and Sons Insurance company, where she meets the owner Louis Echard (Romain Duris). He dismisses her based on lack of experience, but she promptly shows him she has speed and accuracy in typing despite using only her two index fingers. Louis is impressed and strikes a deal with Rose that he will only employ her if she agrees to compete in a series of speed typing competitions. Rose agrees to Louis’s terms and conditions in order to get the job as secretary, resulting in humourous moments including speed and touch typing training using all her fingers, physical training sessions, piano playing with Marie (Bérénice Bejo) to keep her fingers flexible and an unexpected meeting with Louis’s family.

TENACIOUS TYPIST: Louis (Romain Duris) times Rose (Déborah François) as she practises her speed typing in the romantic comedy film Populaire. Image: Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company.

A study of the film’s poster design gives hints at the themes and metaphors present in Populaire that relate to gender and competition. Regarding gender in the workplace, Rose is standing behind Louis which suggests that the secret behind a businessman’s success is his secretary. In the film, Louis was a former boxer and athlete who was unable to achieve national and international success and is haunted by his days as a member of the French Resistance during World War II. With his strict regimental training for Rose to win speed typing competitions, he can share in her success and experience the sense of being a champion again.

Another gender-related reading of this poster is the positioning of subjects/objects in the frame; the typewriter represents female success and independence in the workplace yet there is a man between it and the female typist. This may suggest that the only thing that stands between a woman and her pathway upwards to success in the workplace is misogyny or sexism, as the male is seen as representing patriarchy.

TWO-FINGERED TYPIST: Rose (Déborah François) competes for the first time in the local speed typing competition in the romantic comedy film Populaire. Image: Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company.

The pastiche of Populaire closely resembles the set, wardrobe and era of the television series Mad Men, particularly in the office scenes depicting Louis and Rose at work and in training for the speed typing competitions. The gender politics in Populaire become apparent in the parodying of the Pygmalion myth adapted from a play by George Bernard Shaw whereby, instead of polishing up on the spoken word, Rose is required to speed up the written word using a typewriter. Therefore, Rose is transformed into a modern working woman through training to be a super-fast typist who gains the adoration of the public and respect from Louis. The typewriter is a central character in the film, as it is seen in almost every scene, mostly as a supporting character to the typist.

SPORTING STAMINA: Louis (Romain Duris) trains Rose (Déborah François) to develop strength and stamina as part of her speed typing training in the romantic comedy film Populaire. Image: Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company.

Typists were typically female with secretaries being one of the highest paid and sought-after jobs for women in the post-war era, however the film depicts typing as not only for work but also as a sport. This is a contentious aspect of the film suggesting that not only do women compete against other women for a man, they also compete against other women for work and in sport. Some critics may argue that men also compete with other men in love, work and sport so what is the issue? The issue is that in a patriarchy society, women are not only competing with other women, they are competing in male-dominated and male-controlled arenas. In the film, every aspect of Rose’s typing training and work schedule is controlled by her boss Louis. Rose is not given any opportunities to contribute ideas or suggestions. In the competition arena, Rose may be competing with other women, but it also an arena controlled by men. Populaire cleverly uses metaphors to parody and modernise Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion depicting gender bias in the workplace, which is still prevalent in the twenty first century.

FLEXIBLE FINGERS: Marie (Bérénice Bejo) teaches Rose (Déborah François) to play the piano to help keep her fingers supple for speed typing competitions in the romantic comedy film Populaire. Image: Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company.

The cast for Populaire is excellent and Déborah François (The Page Turner, Maestro) is brilliant as Rose in her transformation from a shy, small-town and two-finger typist to an international speed typing winner; Romain Duris (Mood Indigo, Chinese Puzzle) is smooth talking and suave as the male chauvinist boss Louis wearing similar style business attire as Don Draper from Mad Men; Bérénice Bejo (The Artist, The Past) is lovely as Marie Taylor, who looks glamourous and seductive even as a housewife who teaches piano in her home. She is Louis’s former lover who married his best friend Bob due to Louis’s lack of commitment to their relationship; Shaun Benson (The Metrosexual, Le Beau Risque) is delightful as Bob Taylor, the comic relief and Louis’s best friend who takes a keen interest in Louis’s plan to train Rose for competitions.

WINNERS WALTZ: Louis (Romain Duris) and Rose (Déborah François) dance at a dinner party after a successful day at the local speed typing trials
in the romantic comedy film Populaire. Image: Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company.

Populaire is a sparkling romantic comedy gem that appeals to those who enjoy gender issues served up in a light-hearted manner as only French rom-com films can deliver. The brightly coloured production designs, the retro clothing, hairstyles and the wonderful performances make this film a nostalgic look at the past that reminds viewers how women have progressed and achieved so much since the 1950s, albeit with a little help from some men and technology.

Director: Régis Roinsard

Writers: Régis Roinsard, Romain Compingt, Daniel Presley

Cast: Romain Duris, Déborah François, Bérénice Bejo, Shaun Benson, Mélanie Bernier, Féodor Atkine, Nicholas Bedos, Eddy Mitchell, Miou- Miou, Jeanne Cohendy, Caroline Tillette, Frédéric Pierrot, Marius Colucci, Emeline Bayart, Yannik Landrein, Natassja Girard, Dominique Reymond, Hugo De Sousa

Producers: Gaëtan David, Alain Attal, André Logie, Xavier Amblard

Original Music Composer: Emmanuel D’Orlando, Robin Coudert

Cinematographer: Guillaume Schiffman

Film Editors: Sophie Reine, Laure Gardette

Production: Sylvie Olivé (Production Designer), Jimena Esteve (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: Charlotte David

Languages: French, English and German with English subtitles

Running Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes

Belle and Sebastian/ Belle et Sébastien (2013); adventure family film review

French poster artwork for the family adventure film Belle et Sébastien.

Alpine Adventures by Linh

Belle and Sebastian/ Belle et Sébastien was originally a children’s novel by French actress, screenwriter and director Cécile Aubry. Her novel was adapted into a black and white live-action French television series in the 1960s, with the UK dubbing the series in English for the BBC. In the 1980s, the Japanese created an anime version for television. Aubry’s son Mehdi El Glaoui starred in the original French television series in the role of Sébastien and makes a cameo appearance in the 2013 film adaptation directed by Nicolas Vanier.
Vanier has an affinity with the panoramic beauty of Nature, its unpredictability and working with children and animals. His previous films The Last Trapper and Loup involved animals in the wild, young lead characters and stunning nature photography set in the mountains. It was a wonderful opportunity for Vanier to direct and adapt the classic novel and beloved television series, which consists of these elements. He even secured the assistance of Aubry’s son Mehdi El Glaoui to be part of the film project, where Medhi plays a lumberjack named André who offers advice to Sébastien. The small scene Medhi shared with the film’s young star Félix Bossuet, who plays Sébastien, appears like a passing of the baton from an early generation Sébastien to a contemporary counterpart.

CLOSE CONNECTION: Belle (Garfield) and Sébastien (Felix Bossuet) become best friends in the family adventure film Belle et Sébastien. Image: Radar Films, Gaumont.

Vanier’s film adaptation is an origin story set in the 1940s during World War II, and tells of how Sébastien met Belle, a white Pyrenean Mountain dog. He combines this story with one where the Nazis arrive in Sébastien’s village to capture French Resistance fighters, who help Jewish refugees to escape through the mountains into Switzerland. This second story enables a romance to blossom for a couple of the film’s characters and provides more opportunities to film the majestic mountains in the Haute Marienne-Vanoise valley of the Rhone-Alps region in France. Vanier aimed to introduce the story of Belle et Sébastien to a new generation of audiences without alienating audiences who watched the television series and read the book. The result is a family film with Disney-esque elements combined with the subtle touch of French nostalgic drama.

WATCHING WOLVES: Sébastien (Félix Bossuet), Belle (Garfield) and César (Tchéky Karyo) attempt to stop wolves killing their sheep in the family adventure film Belle et Sébastien. Image: Radar Films, Gaumont.

Belle et Sébastien opens with the six year old boy named Sébastien (Félix Bossuet) going hunting with his adopted grandfather César (Tchéky Karyo). The pair watch chamois on a nearby mountain and witness one of the females being shot dead. They do not see the shooter but hear the cries of the female chamois’s baby. César rescues the baby kid using ropes to lower Sébastien down the mountain side and carry the baby back up in his backpack. They take the kid home where César bottle feeds it and his sheep accepts it into its flock. Meanwhile, the menfolk from Sébastien’s village return from a hunting trip with one member injured from a cut leg. Apparently, there is a “wild beast” killing and stealing the villagers’ sheep and they suspect it is the wild dog formerly owned by a late villager. The dog was presumably tied up all day and night, beaten savagely by its owner and not fed for many days and weeks. The dog eventually escaped its cruel owner and hid in the mountains, possibly turning feral. Later, Sébastien meets Belle during another outing with César, but Belle runs away. A few more encounters between the pair results in a bond of friendship and trust, with Sébastien being certain Belle is not responsible for killing the villagers’ sheep.
 

FRIENDLY FLIRTING Peter (Andreas Pietschmann) flirts with Angélina (Margaux Chatelier) as he offers her a ride home in the family adventure film Belle et Sébastien. Image: Radar Films, Gaumont.

While the menfolk hunt the “wild beast”, Nazis arrive in the village to seek French Resistance members whom they suspect are secretly aiding Jewish refugees into Switzerland through the mountains. A French-German Lieutenant named Peter (Andreas Pietschmann) who is leading the search, falls in love with the village baker and César’s niece Angélina (Margaux Chatelier). However, she is interested in the village doctor named Guillaume (Dimitri Storoge) who is one of the resistance fighters helping Jewish refugees cross the border into Switzerland. As the winter arrives, the trek through the mountains becomes dangerous and the Nazis discover the secret passage used to help the Jewish refugees escape. Unfortunately, Guillaume injured his leg and Angélina offers to take his place, but unbeknownst to her, the Nazis have planned to intercept the group on Christmas night.

ACCESSING ASSISTANCE:Sébastien (Félix Bossuet) seeks medical assistance from doctor Guillaume (Dimitri Storoge) to save Belle's life in the family adventure film Belle et Sébastien. Image: Radar Films, Gaumont.

Belle et Sébastien is beautifully filmed and the spectacular aerial shots of the mountains, the valley and the river appear to make the French countryside and the mountains a character in the film. The splendid scenery during the winter, summer and spring assists in depicting some of the film’s themes including freedom, friendship and family. The wide, open spaces and vastness of the countryside and the towering mountains are metaphoric of the freedom Belle experiences after her turbulent life with a cruel owner and Sébastien is free to run and roam with Belle; and the freedom Jewish refugees gain in escaping the Nazis via secret passages through the mountains.
 

AGREEABLE ADVICE: Sébastien (Félix Bossuet) seeks advice from lumberjack André (Mehdi El Glaoui) to tame a wild dog like Belle in the family adventure film Belle et Sébastien. Image: Radar Films, Gaumont.

Friendship is a central theme in the film as the relationship between Belle and Sébastien grows stronger and this friendship circle is extended to include César, Guillaume and Angélina, who accept Belle as a family member. Sébastien also befriends the daughter of a Jewish refugee, who is his age, and she explains that America is not behind the mountains, but is overseas.

The theme of family is implicit but always present as Sébastien seeks his mother’s whereabouts. His adoptive family tell him that his mother is in America and will soon visit him but they eventually reveal the truth about his mother.

COMPATIBLE CHEMISTRY: Belle (Garfield) and Sébastien (Felix Bossuet) are friends who trust each other in the family adventure film Belle et Sébastien. Image: Radar Films, Gaumont.

The two lead characters are wonderfully cast and definitely the heart and soul of the film. According to an *interview with Vanier, he interviewed 2,400 boys for the role of Sébastien, and after 200 rounds of auditions, only fifteen boys were taken on location to screen-test with sled dogs on the Vercors Plateau in the French Alps. Young Félix Bossuet immediately stood out among the others for his strong yet fragile appearance and expression of innocence with some inner intensity. Auditions for Belle resulted in the employment of a dog named Garfield, and Vanier was prepared for the task of directing animals and children using steady tripod-mounted cameras placed on steep mountain slopes. Bossuet and Garfield have excellent and convincing chemistry onscreen, with Bossuet as the lonely boy who befriends and gains the trust of an abused dog, and Garfield as the gentle dog who learns to stop fearing humans and finds a friend in Sébastien.

Belle et Sébastien is a heart-warming and charming film adaptation of a beloved French book that will entertain children and adults with its glorious scenes of flora and fauna in their natural environment, wholesome family values and rustic beauty of the French countryside.

PLAYFUL PARTNERS: Belle (Garfield) and Sébastien (Felix Bossuet) frolick in the countryside near the mountains during Spring in the family adventure film Belle et Sébastien. Image: Radar Films, Gaumont.

Director: Nicolas Vanier

Writers: Cécile Aubry (novel), Nicolas Vanier (screenplay and dialogue), Juliette Sales (screenplay and dialogue), Fabien Suarez (screenplay and dialogue)
 
Cast: Félix Bossuet, Tchéky Karyo, Margaux Chatelier, Dimitri Storoge, Andreas Pietschmann, Urbain Cancelier, Mehdi El Glaoui, Jan Oliver Schroeder, Tom Sommerlatte
 
Producers: Matthieu Warter, Gilles Legrand, Frédéric Brillion, Clément Miserez

Cinematographer: Eric Guichard

Original Music Composer: Armand Amar
 
Film Editors: Stéphanie Pedelacq, Raphaele Urtin
 
Production: Sebastian Birchler (Production Designer), Daphné Deboaisne (Set Decorator)
 
Costume Designer: Adélaide Gosselin
 
Languages: French, German with English subtitles
 
Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
 
*Reference:
Buet, Christopher (2013). Belle et Sébastien : Nicolas Vanier et Mehdi nous présentent le film ! AlloCiné.fr
http://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18629361.html (Accessed 22 March 2014)

12 Years A Slave (2013); historical biographical drama film review

Korean poster artwork for the historical biographical drama film 12 Years A Slave.

Intercepting Injustice by Linh

The film adaptation 12 Years A Slave is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, whose 1853 memoir titled Twelve Years A Slave was used as the original source for the film. Northup was a legally free *negro who was born in New York State but was kidnapped in 1841 to be sold into slavery. The film chronicles the twelve years Northup spent as a slave working in the plantations for different masters and the people he encountered who showed kindness or cruelty towards black slaves.

Director Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame) is beginning to develop a reputation for films regarding issues or themes of human suffering or afflictions that are riveting and leaves the viewer in silent awe. This film is exceptional despite the few alterations in the story that are made for dramatic effects but do not change the overall sentiments of the original book. 

FAMILY FREEDOM: Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) enjoys life as a legally free negro with his wife Anne (Kelsey Scott), son Alonzo (Cameron
Zeigler) and daughter Margaret (Quvenzhané Wallis) in the historical biographical drama 12 Years A Slave. Image: Icon Films.

The film begins in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1841 where a legally free negro named Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who works as a skilled carpenter and plays the violin, is spending some family time with his wife Anne (Kelsey Scott), son Alonzo (Cameron Zeigler) and daughter Margaret (Quvenzhané Wallis). Later, he meets with his white friend Parker (Rob Steinberg) for business and consequently encounters two white men named Mr. Brown (Scoot McNairy) and Mr. Hamilton (Taran Killam), who offer him a brief and high-paying job as a musician with their travelling circus. Solomon goes to Washington D.C. with Hamilton and Brown where he is drugged, bound and kept in a slave pen, before being transported by ship to New Orleans.  On the ship, there are abducted women and their children, and the negro men tell Solomon that he must be silent, endure the beatings and never reveal he is literate.

Solomon is re-named Platt by the slave traders and sold to a debt-ridden cotton planter named William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) who treats him kindly. Another owner named John Tibeats (Paul Dano) feels Solomon is using his carpentry and communication skills to challenge Tibeats’s superiority as a master. Solomon suffers cruelty and ill-treatment at the hands of Tibeats, even being hung by the neck from a tree for many hours, until Ford returned from a trip to release him. Stricken with guilt that he cannot protect his slave from harm, Ford sells Solomon to the notoriously cruel Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). Solomon meets a young slave girl named Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o) who is the hardest worker and fastest cotton picker on Epps’s plantation. He witnesses her suffering while enduring his own. She seeks his help in committing suicide but Solomon refuses. He spends a decade working for Epps as a cotton picker, driver, and overseer who must punish fellow slaves for disobeying Epps. While working on a gazebo for Epps, Solomon meets a Canadian carpenter, who is also an abolitionist, named Samuel Bass (Brad Pitt), whose generosity alters Solomon’s life.

SKILLED SLAVE: Solomon/Platt (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is grateful for the kindness of his master Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his other master Tibeats (Paul Dano) attempts wrongfully punish him in the historical biographical drama film 12 Years A Slave. Image: Icon Films.

The performances in this film are excellent, particularly with the subject matter of slavery, where extreme prejudices, cruelty and discrimination are depicted through the strong characterisations and cohesive screenplay.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Half Of A Yellow Sun,Triple Nine) is outstanding in the lead role of Solomon/Platt and he convincingly portrays a man who never gave up on his fight for freedom and to reunite with his family; the versatile Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Frank) who worked with Steve McQueen in Hunger and Shame, provides an admirably stellar performance as the racist and cruel Edwin Epps; Paul Dano (Prisoners, Love and Mercy) is brilliant as the envious bigot John Tibeats, whose insecurities manifests as hatred and rage against his slaves; making her debut in this feature film, Lupita Nyong’o is gentle, vulnerable and sweet as slave girl Patsey, whose inner strength wanes with the sex abuse at the hands of Epps and her attempts to escape result in severe whipping.

Supporting roles are equally impressive including from Sarah Paulson as Mary Epps the jealous wife of Edwin Epps; Paul Giamatti as the conniving slave trader Theophilus Freeman; Alfre Woodard is delightful as Harriet Shaw, the former slave woman who became the wife of a wealthy plantation owner, and an inspiration for Patsey; Benedict Cumberbatch is unforgettable as the benevolent cotton plantation owner William Ford whose kindness towards slaves briefly gives Solomon hope in humanity; Brad Pitt is commendable as carpenter and abolitionist Samuel Bass with a passable Canadian accent for his brief scenes in the film.

SOCIAL STATUS: Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) greatly admires Harriet Shaw (Afre Woodard) who was formerly enslaved but was able to use her personal powers as a woman to become the wife of a wealthy plantation owner in the historical biography drama film 12 Years A Slave. Image: Icon Films. 

The film depicts common practices related to slavery in the pre-Civil War period such as the treatment of negroes as not possessing any human value, but are seen as objects worth monetary value, therefore can be sold, bought or exchanged; the undressing of negroes and line-ups in the nude, then displayed for potential buyers; using negroes for entertainment purposes such as dancing; black women are seen as property of slave owners so they are at high risk of rape and sexual abuse; children of slave women are often removed from their mother’s care and sent away; treatment of slaves varying from kindness to cruelty with whippings, hangings and mutilations.

MANIPULATIVE MASTER: Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) informs his slave Solomon/Platt (Chiwetel Ejiofor) that punishment is inevitable and painful if he is caught escaping in the historical biographical drama film 12 Years A Slave. Image: Icon Films.

12 Years A Slave is mostly about the years of one man in slavery, but is also a shared story for many others who have lived through similar experiences of struggles and indignities associated with slavery. It is a difficult film to watch as it depicts moments in America’s history of injustice, inequality and inhumanity towards a race of people, and this appalling pre-Civil War period may still have emotional resonance for future generations of African Americans. However, it is an important film to watch, in the sense that by witnessing the wrongs of the past, we may learn to right those similar wrongs in the future and attempt to never repeat them.

Director: Steve McQueen

Writers: Solomon Northup (author of memoir Twelve Years A Slave), John Ridley (screenplay)

Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson, Paul Giamatti, Rob Steinberg, Taran Killam, Scoot McNairy, Quvenzhané Wallis, Kelsey Scott, Cameron Zeigler, Afre Woodard, Brad Pitt, Dwight Henry, Ashley Dyke, Deneen Tyler, Bryan Batt, Michael K. Williams, Marcus Lyle Brown, Vivian Fleming-Alvarez, Anwan Glover, Craig Tate, Chris Chalk, Garrett Dillahunt, Adepero Oduye, Eliza J. Bennett, Bill Camp, Ruth Negga, Jay Huguley, Christopher Berry, Devyn A. Tyler

Producers: John Ridley, Bianca Stigter, Tessa Ross, Steve McQueen, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Bill Pohland, Arnon Milchan, Anthony Katagas

Original Music Composer: Hans Zimmer

Cinematographer: Sean Bobbitt (Director of Photography)

Film Editor: Joe Walker

Production: Adam Stockhausen (Production Designer), David Stein (Art Direction), Alice Baker (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: Patricia Norris

Running Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes

*The term negro/negroes is no longer in general use but is used in historical context for this written piece. Negro is a term that may still be used in anthropological or historical studies for academia.