Film – 12 Years a Slave Trailer

There is always a film that scores the early oscar buzz, its name banded around from critic to critic as they decide whether it is worthy of the ultimate cinematic prize. The film this year is British director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave (enter small congratulatory pat on the back just because he’s a Brit).

The film – which recently showed as part of the London Film Festival – is based on the memoir of Solomon Northup; a black American freeman living in New York who is abducted and sold into slavery in 1841. From there he is sold from master to master. Starring Londoner Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup alongside a whole host of other esteemed actors including Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giammatti and Paul Dano; McQueen takes the viewer on a fluid and painfully emotional journey of desperation, deprivation, strength, truth and absence of choice. Many of lesser talent and courage have shied away from the subject matter of America slavery with McQueen himself stating that the film set out to address “the elephant in the room”.

Further praise has been given for the screenplay from John Ridley, the incredible cinematography from Sean Bobbitt and Joe Walker and the beautiful score from acclaimed composer Hans Zimmer.

With many heralding 12 Years a Slave as the most powerful and true depiction of slavery ever told, we would say that definitely makes it worth a trip to the cinema in order to see its magnificence for yourself.

Release Date: 24th January 2014

By Victoria Gardiner