12 Years of a Slave ( Aishah's short review )

Based on a true story, "12 Years a Slave" is a riveting account of a free black man kidnapped from New York and sold into brutal slavery in mid-1850s Louisiana, and the inspiring story of his desperate struggle to return home to his family. Solomon Northrup (Chiwtel Ejiofor), an educated black man with a gift for music, lives with his wife and children in Saratoga, New York. One day, when his family is out of town, he is approached by two men claiming to be circus promoters. Solomon agrees to travel with them briefly, playing the fiddle while they perform. But after sharing a drink with the men, he awakens to find he has been drugged and bound and faces a horrifying reality: he is being shipped to the South as a slave.

Recently I had the chance to watch this Oscar Award movie after being recommended by my Prose’s lecturer, Dr PK. It was a week before Oscar and I had no idea how it will affect my life afterwards.

A series of flashback of the tragedy that was about to happen fills in the beginning of the movie. The story opens by Solomon who is already a slave cutting sugar canes in a plantation watched by two white people.  And then, the audience are introduced to the life of Solomon before being kidnapped and brought to South as a slave. He was initially a free man, well educated and living in New York with his wife and two kids. However, after  dinner with two men believed to be circus promoter, he woke up the next day heavily drugged and chained to the wall. He seek for help, but got a whip instead by a wood plank. During this scene, I winced because of the gore action showed and as an audience I can actually feel the pain felt by Solomon.  

That was the starting point when Solomon became a slave. As the movie goes, you can see the Solomon’s spirit which initially high but gradually decreases when he learned the hard way that he would never be a free man again. Following the movie till the end was really heart breaking and there’s some parts of it where I just had to pause and stop for a while cause the images are really gore.

But overall, I would say that the movie really give you an insight into the reality of slavery in the 18^th century. It makes me think of humanity and the sense of relationship between human, and I wonder if this is still happening in the current world.

I have this one movie in mind, about a real life story of human trafficking in the Mexico borders. However, I cant remember what it is called. I’ll inform you guys later okay, till then toodles sayangs.

Love,

Aishah.