Steve McQueen's powerful film about Solomon Northrup's kidnapping, enslavement, and eventual freedom is stellar. Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance as Northrup kept me invested in what some think is the best movie of the year. Nobody was particularly interested in seeing the movie with me which lead me to believe things weren't as grand as they seemed. I mean, who wants to see "White Guilt: The Movie"? It never was an issue. Maybe it's who I am, but when I see Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Michael Fassbender use the "n" word so freely, I have trouble identifying or sympathizing with them. Perhaps the greater barrier was in their status, I would never have been able to afford a plantation, let alone any slaves. The most overlooked role I've seen is from Garret Dillahunt playing a former overseer who works alongside the slaves before agreeing to help Solomon (Platt). He's the most accessible character for me; he hasn't led a perfect life and faces a tough choice between his survival and his morals. Overall, the movie isn't as disturbing as I thought it would be, because I don't think that was the message here. I think the message here is that as awful as kidnapping and enslavement are, the human spirit is still stronger.
Steve McQueen's powerful film about Solomon Northrup's kidnapping, enslavement, and eventual freedom is stellar. Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance as Northrup kept me invested in what some think is the best movie of the year. Nobody was particularly interested in seeing the movie with me which lead me to believe things weren't as grand as they seemed. I mean, who wants to see "White Guilt: The Movie"? It never was an issue. Maybe it's who I am, but when I see Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Michael Fassbender use the "n" word so freely, I have trouble identifying or sympathizing with them. Perhaps the greater barrier was in their status, I would never have been able to afford a plantation, let alone any slaves. The most overlooked role I've seen is from Garret Dillahunt playing a former overseer who works alongside the slaves before agreeing to help Solomon (Platt). He's the most accessible character for me; he hasn't led a perfect life and faces a tough choice between his survival and his morals. Overall, the movie isn't as disturbing as I thought it would be, because I don't think that was the message here. I think the message here is that as awful as kidnapping and enslavement are, the human spirit is still stronger. 
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