You Need to See 12 Years a Slave
My review of one of my favorite films after watching it again…
This review originally appeared on aarondcharles.com. A link is provided below. If you have not seen the film, you should also know that the following review will discuss the plot in great detail.
I grew up learning about slavery in school. My history books covered it. We talked about it in class. But I always viewed it as something that happened. Of course I knew it was horribly wrong. It was a stain on our history. But that’s just what it was to me: history.
Then I watched 12 Years a Slave.
If there is any film that I believe should be required viewing for every American, it should be this film. There is a moment late in 12 Years a Slave when Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) looks directly into the camera. Even after so many excruciating scenes, this small moment finds new ways to break our hearts. It’s at that moment that you look directly into the face of someone whose humanity has been ripped to shreds. It’s painful to see. In many ways, I…
