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| '12 Years a Slave' : Platt and Epp |
The opening scene of “12 Years a Slave,” directed by Steve
McQueen, follows the perspective of an unknown figure slowly uncovering the
leaves of a lush sugar cane field perhaps searching for food, trying to survive. It bears a strong resemblance
to what the protagonist, Solomon Northrup, says: “I don’t want to survive…I
want to live.” Solomon
Northrup was a free-black musician living in New York City of 1841 with his family of
two children and his wife Anne until he was lured into a false job, ensnared,
and sold into slavery. When he pleads to his captors that he is a free man, he
is beaten till nothing is left of the wooden plank.
While the first few scenes evoke an intimate atmosphere of
difficulty and hopelessness, the flashback of Solomon’s family walking down the
streets of New York City highlight the essence of the film which is not the
return of the ‘hero’ to his family but the experiences of Solomon’s and other’s
victimization. It transcends simple
narratives and emotional exaggerations for a perfectly constructed and balanced
film that encompasses the full gamut of the horrific realities and vicissitudes
that have befallen the enslaved.
As such, Steve McQueen and screenplay writer John Ridley had
to put a great deal of time in shaping the characters. And, it’s clear from the
achievements of the movie that their work paid off. Every character takes a
special and complex turn offering more than a stark rendition. The
relationships in the film from master to slave and slave to slave change
drastically as Solomon jumps from one master to another (although the backdrop
always looks the same.) Solomon’s change from a state of disbelief and helplessness
to acceptance is perfectly portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Although Solomon
changes his outlook on the situation, he never loses sight of who he is and his
dignity. Brad Pitt as the carpenter—perhaps the only ‘good’ person—brings some
light in the evil and sadistic world of Michael Fassbender’s Edwin Epp, a bored
drunk man who enjoys playing with his toy slaves. His nightly dancing shows are
distressing scenes that are very reminiscent of a puppeteer playing with
puppets. Even more deplorable are his detours into Patsey’s—a distraught young
slave played powerfully by Lupita Nyong’o –cabin to fill his sexual hunger. Against
all his repugnant acts however, Fassbender still manages to show Epp’s
conscience via his hidden insecurity and guilt.
“12 Years a Slave” is
not an easy film to watch and it’s not meant to be easy. Silent and dark scenes
are directly followed by noisy and bright shots sans the dissolving and fading
interpositions. In fact, McQueen uses this technique several times by
juxtaposing the dark and light beauty of nature with the loud and hectic
violence of the day. The transition between the scenes forces audience members
not only to see the pain but also empathize with the characters. This is a
perfect addition to the already graphic and gruesome sequences that are meant
to pierce through the viewer’s eyes and heart.
One might argue that a misstep in the movie is its
‘inability’ to portray the diuturnity of Solomon’s enslavement, the whole 12
years he spent apart from his family. However, Steve McQueen sacrifices the
portrayal of time for something more important—the existential isolation and
slavery. This is where the distinction between living and surviving is made clearer.
And, instead of gradually showing the passage of time, McQueen favors a subtle
and ingenious approach whereby the final scene culminates all the absence of
time in one powerful and shocking image of the fully-grown family that Solomon once
knew as children. (Begging the question—where have I been?)
It’s quite sad that such a great movie is accompanied by a
derivative and undeveloped score composed by Hans Zimmer. Over the years, Hans
Zimmer has lost his originality and almost everything he touches ranging from “Man
of Steel” and “Captain Phillips” has the
same cue from “Inception’s” ‘Time’ or from “The Thin Red Line’s” ‘Journey to the Line’ but with a few edits in
volume and orchestration.
