12 Years a Slave

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12 Years a Slave

R

2013

2h 14m

History

Drama

Biography

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Popcornmeter

95%

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376 Reviews

90%

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100,000+ Ratings

In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon's life forever.

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Critics Consensus

It's far from comfortable viewing, but 12 Years a Slave's unflinchingly brutal look at American slavery is also brilliant -- and quite possibly essential -- cinema.

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Nijla Mu'min

Bitch Media

01/20/2021

Director McQueen, drawing on the visual aesthetic of his previous works Shame and Hunger, never shies away from frames that capture the ways that beauty exists in the most painful situations.

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J. Hoberman

Harper's Magazine

03/04/2018

12 Years a Slave is, like The Trial, a trapdoor over the abyss. Although less abrupt than Kafka's novel, the movie wastes little time before plunging its viewer into a nightmare of dehumanization.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/06/2017

A

Ambitious, honest and horrifying all at once, 12 Years a Slave may not be the easiest film to watch more than once, but it will stay with you forever once you see it.

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JD Duran

InSession Film

08/13/2024

Steve McQueen brought it to life and didn’t hold back from intensity this story has at its foundation. Incredible performances from Chewitel Ejifor and Lupita Nyong’o carry this film.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

03/08/2024

What’s most impressive about the film is the way it shows how slavery distorts humanity on all levels.

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Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

06/14/2023

A searing and thought-provoking portrait of pre-Civil War American slavery... 12 Years a Slave is an absorbing and divinely crafted film, even if it is a brutal watch.

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Rohit R

Feb 13

Truely a tough watch. Honest, horrifying truth told as it is.

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O g

Feb 9

A good film but would benefit from serving the dish colder and with less spoon-feeding. For instance the lingering, voyeuristic shots of misery. Something like this will naturally have an epic scope, but the pregnant pauses, acting that is sometimes too grand/stagey and overbearing score make this feel a bit too Hollywood. Synthesises the 'big picture' stuff with the daily indignities and human emotions - jealousy, resentment, self-preservation - extremely well.

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Russell H

Jan 12

Acting was phenomenal. The emotion and despair could be felt.

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Monica B

@Chartreusea Jan 7

Another reviewer said it well- torture porn. It’s made in hatred. And it’s pretty unbelievable that humans would act like animals to one another. I don’t buy it, I don’t care what the source is. Just glad I didn’t pay to sit through it. But I liked how the righteous Brad Pitt comes along to redeem the evil whites. Whew.

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Honey S.

@HoneyQueen Jan 1

Brutally honest but worth the watch

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Deepika V

@deepikav12 Dec 29

A tough movie to watch, but the acting by everyone was so good- esp Chiewetel Ejiofor. The last scene was emotional.

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Steve McQueen

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Chiwetel Ejiofor

Solomon Northup

Michael Fassbender

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12 Years a Slave: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon's life forever.

Director: Steve McQueen
Producer: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Bill Pohlad, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Anthony Katagas
Screenwriter: John Ridley
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: River Road, Plan B Entertainment, New Regency Pictures
Rating: R (Some Nudity|Brief Sexuality|Violence/Cruelty)
Genre: History, Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 18, 2013, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jan 17, 2014
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 31, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $56.7M
Runtime: 2h 14m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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