Why is Twelve Years a
Slave relevant now? It may follow on the heels of slavery-themed Django Unchained and Lincoln but there is much more to Steve
McQueen’s epic and accomplished film. This tale of slavery is bookended as Solomon
Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a free man before and after, his twelve years in
captivity.
Lingering, prolonged shots force you to acknowledge the true
horror of the period. This is how animalistic and selfish humans can be.
Tip-toes in mud squeeze and squelch as they keep a hanging man alive. Sadistic
plantation owners and carpenters abuse and show their true intentions as they
fear the African-American who has risen above them in dignity and strength.
Solomon refuses to be broken. He demands a woman cease her crying as she mourns
the loss of her children. This strength is a lack of humility and as an
audience we remain conflicted. “I survive!” he tells her when justified his
lack of emotion towards his own loss of family.
Twelve Years a Slave
is one of the most important films of the 21st Century, not least as
it horrifically highlights the history of a society that too often prides
itself on Christian values. Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) uses these values to
control his slaves, reading scripture to support his exploitation. Epps
himself, akin to Ralph Fiennes ‘Goeth’ in Schindler’s
List, is a torn man. He lusts after, and is conflicted, about his feelings
towards the innocent Patsey (a radiant Lupita Nyong'o). Using Christian values
to control, dominate and hurt others is not unlike the use of Islamic text to
terrorise others. In both cases, it is an abuse of doctrine to achieve a
selfish, personal goal. McQueen demands your attention with poetic and poignant
themes.
Why is Twelve Years a
Slave relevant? Solomon struggles to write down his experience. He crudely cuts
into a violin the names of his family – could he forget their names after years
in captivity as “Platt”? One of the few sequences repeated is a moment, midway
through his twelve years, whereby he tries to write down his experiences – and initially
fails. Solomon, without realising, is one of the very few who can actually
articulate his plight. The vast majority of slaves were illiterate – and, we
are told, if they were literate they would be foolish to tell others. A fair
comparison to slavery in the US is the holocaust - an atrocity that happened less
than a century after the abolition of slavery. Records are unclear as to how
many died in slavery. Seven million Jews died in concentration camps while the
Atlantic slave trade is responsible for at least nine million deaths – but sources
claim it could be as high as fifty-five million. At one point, as a free man,
Solomon sees a slave who follows him in awe, but Solomon doesn’t act, content in
his own safety. Told in flashback, Solomon doesn’t understand his inactivity. As
Solomon needed to document his twelve years – McQueen needed to make this film.
We need to watch it and we need to talk about it.
A review is an analysis of the film at hand, but this is the
legacy of
Twelve Years a Slave. This
is a document to support and remind us of what humans are capable of – and what
they can be content with. Why is
Twelve
Years a Slave relevant? Because it could happen again. Art can be
reflection; art can be informative; art can be a reminder – or warning – to what
is possible. Chitewol Ejiofor, in his final moments on screen, at one point
looks out to camera. His gaze meanders, considerate and thoughtful; the camera
doesn’t move. After viewing over two hours of cruelty, this moment is calming
and his look travels through the lens. Channelled through Ejiofor’s defiant
performance, Solomon looks at us. This is one written testament that could be
adapted. How many stories exist that are not written? Voiceless victims that
cannot be heard? Solomon is a voice that we can hear but too many silent
stories exist.
Published and written originally for TQS Magazine on 13th January 2014
