Preparing for this film was a breeze; saying to myself it's another slavery film I can handle it. Not true.
Paying money to view this work of art is what kept me glued to my seat had I been able to pause it, I would've gotten up and walked away for a breather. I needed a breather more than a few times because the truth from this film spoke so loud that it shook me to my core.
I tried conquering the brash truth by rubbing my forehead, breathing deeply, crying, blowing out strong wind, shaking my legs, twisting in my chair, and yelling f*** you at the evil slave owners. This film was so raw and unapologetic that it left me feeling dehumanized and violated, as if I were too reliving my ancestors' tragic past.
Freedom looked real good at the beginning of the movie, where the main character Solomon Northrup (played by actor Chiwetel Ejiofor) lived peacefully with his wife and two children in Saratoga, New York, in 1841.
His freedom would end abruptly as he was blind-sided by two gentlemen who pretended to need his musical services for a particular event, fixing Solomon's drink in a way that would knock him unconscious only to wake up in slave chains. Those slave chains would mark the beginning of Mr. Northrup's twelve years of hell.
An unspeakable evil took over the screen for most of the film's duration, making the atmosphere tensely thick and uncomfortable. Watching families be torn apart for the purposes of money and power, is reminiscent to our 21st century politics. Furthermore, listening to the white Southerners in the movie preach from their Christian bibles referring to themselves as lord and master, reminded me of the extremists within our government who use the bible consistently to make their points valid -- but to no avail.
It reminds me of a passage I read by the notable philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche which does state, "To have glued this New Testament, a kind of rococo of taste in every respect, to the Old Testament to make one book, as the "Bible," as "the book par excellence" - that is perhaps the greatest audacity and "sin against the spirit" that literary Europe has on its conscience." ~Beyond Good and Evil~
Annoyance became the norm for me every time I watched a slave master preaching to the slaves, from a Bible that the slaves themselves weren't permitted to read.
The drilling of obedience and servitude by the slave masters was a strategic mechanism used to brainwash the victims, and it made me sick to my stomach. The Book of Eli with actor Denzel Washington playing the main character of Eli, makes even more sense to me now.
The "missus" of the house (played by actress Sarah Paulson seen below scratching Patsy's face played by Lupita Nyong'o) was a bitter, miserable, evil and jealous
woman, who took pride in abusing her slaves especially Patsy, whom her husband
highly favored and repeatedly raped.
Patsy endured the most grotesque
beatings, rapping's, labor, and mental abuse. She was beat nearly to
death for traveling to a nearby plantation to retrieve soap, since the
"missus" of the house refused to give her any. That scene is permanently
engraved in my mind, remaining as a constant reminder of how far we've
come and how much further we still have to go.
Solomom Northrup was called an "exceptional ni****" by the Southern white men because he could read, write, play the violin, and knew math very well, so well that it pissed off his overseer who automatically deemed himself more intelligent because he was white.
Jealousy and envy drove the overseer crazy in which he attempted to beat Solomon, as a result of his own inadequacies. This particular scene reminded me of present corporations that house supervisors and directors who are threatened by "exceptional" minorities, and will go insofar as to deny promotions for fear of competition.
And no matter how dangerous it was to trust any white men in the South, Solomon entrusted two; one who stole his money and lied for personal gain, and the other who was less ignorant and more humane which ultimately led to Mr. Northrup's freedom -- again.
This film isn't for the faint of hearts but if you love history and if you wish to view the act of slavery through the eyes of the man who lived it, this is definitely a must see. Kudos to the writer John Ridley and director Steve McQueen, for making us confront the real evil of our time.
2013 LA
Twenty-seven years Mandela spent in prison; 27 years of innocence behind bars -- paying the price for speaking truth to power. And although his physical being was imprisoned his mind was not. He refused to give his oppressors the one thing that enabled him to press on, so he gave his body instead. After 27 years of reading, writing, praying and struggle, Mandela became more powerful than ever before which ultimately led him to become president of South Africa. His dream had been realized and not just for himself, but for all his fellow South Africans who seemed more like close family than citizens. 
