12 Years a Slave

We are far beyond the candy-coated fantasy world of plantation life in Gone With the Wind. And let's not talk about Quentin Tarrantino's over-the-top violence gore-fest in Django Unchained. This harrowing film of plantation life in the 1840s is based on a true story and pulls no punches in depicting the harshness and cruelty visited upon slaves by often sadistic plantation owners. Chiwetel Ejiofor's eyes are deep pools of hurt, pain and hope. Michael Fassbender's portrayal of a man unhappy in marriage takes his frustrations out on his lover and footstool, pathetic Lupita Nyong'o (in a heartbreaking performance of helplessness and fear) Fassbender's character is truly chilling. This is a great film about one of the most important issues in American history-that of race. It is also one of the most violent films since the Passion of the Christ. The film shows that the victimizers and the victims are equally de-humanized. An instant classic and one of the year's very best pictures. Now that awards season is upon us, I'd expect that 12 years a Slave will be a film honored with many statuettes and plaques including those from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.