12 Years a Slave Paraphrase

12 Years a Slave Paraphrase

The famous film critic, Peter Travers, from the highly praised Rolling Stone, a music centered writing company, wrote his thoughts on 12 Years a Slave. The movies main character, Soloman, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, was a black musician in 1841, where it was rare for a black man to be a  professional musician. He talks about the starting plot of the movie, then goes deeper into the ideas and process behind McQueen's, the director of the film, directing style. He talks and admires McQueen for going past the TV screens guarded version of slavery, and shows the audience the real gruesome and harsh reality. He states, "You don’t just watch 12 Years a Slave. You bleed with it, share its immediacy and feel the wounds that may be beyond healing." (12 Years a Slave, Rolling Stone). He is stating that while watching the movie you feel an emotional connection to the characters and the pain they feel. Every whip and deathly moment you can feel the pain (although at a much less and intimate way) that the actors feel. He then compliments the acting of Chiwetel and his ability to completely transform into a slave physically and mentally as a form of art. There is even a scene where Soloman is being hung on a tree, but the tips of his toes are able to touch just barely keeping him alive. He states, "The sequence, a microcosm of the neglectful world outside, is stunningly realized as we hold our breath along with Platt." (12 Years a Slave, Rolling Stone). He is showing that the harsh reality of the slave life is shown while we watch Soloman hang from a tree, and we are almost able to feel his every breath and breathe with him. He finishes by talking about the actor who plays Patsey, Lupita Nyong’o, who's scene with Ejiofor was extremely powerful. Patsey is placed on a pole, and Soloman is told by his master to whip her, his friend, repeatedly on the back. He expresses how this part is so powerful that it manages to abase all humans that took place in it, and how throughout the whole film you are transformed into slaves in which McQueen is able to create a long-lasting, memorable film. 

Picture from the Rolling Stones Website