 |
| LUPITA |
The
word slavery has an all too familiar meaning in the minds of many
African-Americans. For a majority of people who came into contact with slavery,
their encounters will always remain a scar which, though healed, is a painful
reminder of a dark past which cannot be simply wished away. It is because of
this relevance that the published slave memoirs of Solomon Northup, 12 Years
a Slave, was adapted into a major motion picture in 2013.
The
film, 12 Years a Slave is based on the real life of Solomon Northup, who was a
free man but who was sold into slavery through the machinations of two “gentlemen”
he advently met, or so he thought. He is captured while going about his daily
activities, working out contracts for people and playing his violin so as to
keep body and soul together, for himself and his entire family. Released by
Quality over Quantity (QoQ) in 2013, the film tells the story of the trials and
tribulations which Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his fellow
slaves went through at the hands of different slave owners. Solomon presents us
with events that he observed and experienced and challenge us –the audience—to
judge. Through Solomon’s eyes, we observe that there are slaves who have never
felt what it is like to be free and as a result, they are alienated from
reality. Lack of identity is another of the problems faced by these slaves.
Upon his enslavement, Solomon’s name is changed to Platt according to the wishes
of his slave owners, a fact that greatly infuriates Solomon.
Based
on the events that happened from January 1841 up to 1853 when Solomon Northup
is released from bondage, the film director, producer and costume designer
captured this reality in a very convincing way. The type of costumes the actors
wore, the choice of music and the soundtrack, the type of buildings in which
different scenes take place, the kind of parties the people of that time
engages in and the general flow of life in the movie capture all these aspects
well.
Stylistically,
the film employs a lot of flashbacks which serve the film well especially at
times such as when Solomon has just realized that he has been enslaved. This
flashback is very strategic showing the audience the transition from the almost
action-less dungeon in which Solomon is confined to his relatively colorful past
before he became a slave. What this also brings is a sharp contrast between his
present and his past, something that enhances our critical viewing of the film.
I will
fail as a reviewer if I don’t point out that nudity in my understanding is not
a mark of excellent creativity. The film may have wanted to reflect the reality
of the book to its very fine details but I still find the nudity a bit
disconcerting. There must have been a way that this story could have been told
effectively without necessarily showing naked human beings. An example is by
creating the impression of people without clothes in the same way artists create
the impression of death on stage while at the same time sparing their audiences
all the gruesome details.
Otherwise,
12 Years a Slave is a major motion picture which will resonate with humans
far into the past and widely into the future.
One can
argue that such tales should be a reserve of interested historians and scholars
with no place at all in mainstream entertainment industry especially
considering the painful memories the film re-awakens. But the truth is that
such stories have to be brought to the people – through cinema, television and
books—in order to remind us of the inhumanity of man against man and caution us.
The reason why we record history, after all, is not to revenge but to make us
cautious in our future endeavors. Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
says that if we sweep history under the carpet, then we risk being myopic about
our future.
No comments:
Post a Comment