12 Years a Slave might be attracting the most attention from critics aside from Gravity, and it’s not surprising. This is a film that’s been talked about as an Oscar contender since it was first announced. It’s the biggest production yet for acclaimed British director Steve McQueen, and boasts an all-star cast including McQueen’s go-to collaborator Michael Fassbender, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, and even more that I could mention, but you might as well just check out its IMDb page.
The story itself sounds absolutely fascinating: Solomon Northup, played by Ejiofor, is a free black man in 1841 who is kidnapped in Washington DC and sold into slavery in Louisiana. McQueen showed his directorial skills in Hunger and Shame, two relatively small, intimate and focused features, and this is decidedly his most ambitious film effort to date. All signs point to him being able to pull it off, but we’ll find out when it premieres.
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Published: Sep 4, 2013 11:28 am