12 Years a Slave

In 1841, Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor)—an educated, well-to-do, freeborn black man with a wife and children in upstate New York—was lured from his home to ostensibly work as a musician in Washington, D.C., where he was kidnapped and shipped in shackles and chains to New Orleans. Forcibly renamed Platt Hamilton by a slave trader (Paul Giamatti), “Platt” was sold to genteel mill owner/Baptist minister William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), who was impressed with Platt's skilled fiddle-playing. But Platt's obvious intelligence infuriated Ford's brutal, spiteful overseer, Tibeats (Paul Dano), who tortured him unmercifully. To save Platt's life, Ford sold him to despicably sadistic plantation owner Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). Oscar-nominated British/Nigerian actor Ejiofor embodies imprisoned Northrup's grievous mental suffering and gruesome physical torment—constantly displaying the dignified resiliency that enabled him to endure and survive—while fellow nominee Lupita Nyong'o delivers a heart-wrenching portrayal as Patsey, the long-suffering, cotton-picking slave who becomes psychopathic Epps' mistress. Based on Northrup's memoir, published in 1853 (a year after Uncle Tom's Cabin), director Steve McQueen's powerful biographical drama—up for nine Academy Awards—is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “The Team” segment on cast and crew (8 min.), “The Score” featurette on composer Hans Zimmer's soundtrack (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is “A Historical Portrait” making-of featurette (41 min.), and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for this Best Picture winner.] (S. Granger)