12 Years Of Redemption

Just got done watching “12 Years A Slave.” Man...if I were to do a review of this movie, I’d just have one sentence …it ‘aint “Star Wars.” That’s all I’d write. If someone were to review my review, it’d probably be “who let the ten year old watch this gruesome depiction of slavery?” Anyway, I digress…did anyone catch the structure of this film? It’s IDENTICAL to the “Shawshank Redemption.” How the Hell did this comparison not come into the lexicon of reviewers? This is amazing that it fell through those cracks.

I’ll try not to ruin anything for you, but essentially it’s about a guy who inadvertently ends up in  a situation that is by no fault of his own. He silently goes about suffering through many sadistic events and people. In the company of others who also suffer imprisonment. One worst than the next. Even though we, the audience, know he comes from a privileged background. Through his circumstances  some of his expertise from his past life come to the forefront  In “Shawshank…” it was Andy’s ability to be an amazing accountant. In “12 Years…” it was Solomon’s skill of playing a violin and his skill in engineering. So we get more and more frustrated with him. Until final comeuppance to the cruel villain. There are times when Solomon/Andy exhibits an idea that if you follow the rules, you will be fine, but it inevitably backfires.

What I kept thinking as I was watching it was…I wonder when Caucasian folk watch it, how much it’d be like watching sex scenes with their parents. I mean, I kept thinking about how I would feel if they had an Asian dude torturing a Mexican in a theater full of Mexicans. I would feel so much guilt, I wouldn’t be able to eat or drink (can’t imagine the food sales on this one). What I got, is that there is a LOT of hindsight on this movie. History is miserable and painful and sometimes we are challenged like you wouldn’t believe. I think the concept of “hope will transcend adversity” is a great message. Faulty but empowering. “12 Years…” is a very well made movie. It lingers poetically. Small wonderful moments that allow the actor to soak in his environment. Let it absorb in you. Meanwhile, it hops from one antagonistic event one after another. It feels so organic, and lets the amazing actors play in the world.

Alright…touchy queery dissection aside, I really didn’t learn much from it. Well, not anything I didn’t already know through school. You feel that sometimes they show the most awful side of it, so it becomes derivative of some very real history. Best Picture material? I think when it comes to the choices…it was understandable.