Is it really possible that there haven’t been many films about slavery that actually depict slavery with such authenticism? Perhaps, “Roots.”
There was “Gone With the Wind,” “Django Unchained,” “Amistad,” “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” and “Lincoln” too, yet, the latest film from director Steve McQueen (“Hunger” and “Shame”), is so powerful that everyone will agree that it should be shown in every high school across America.
Based on a book written in 1853, “12 Years A Slave” is based on the true-to-life experiences by an African American male named Solomon Northup, a sophisticated, free man living in Saratoga Springs, New York State with his wife and two children. Tricked, kidnapped, and sold into slavery, he was shackled, beaten, whipped, and ordered to work the cotton fields on a plantation in Louisiana for 12 years. Solomon, demonstrated strength, tenacity, and bravery, while being forced to partake, observe and perform in inhumane acts that seem incomprehensible.
Article and videography by Sharon Abella
Editor of 1worldcinema.com