I understand that the original title is from a book on which the film is based, but it is one thing to read a book called "12 years a slave", another to watch a movie: you do not enjoy, nor the beginning, because you already know that will be captured, nor the middle, because you already know that will be released, nor the end, because you would expect from the entire movie. In practice, two and half hours of film ruined by a very wrong way. Then it is no true that the film has made me so enthusiastic. It seems built for very captatio benevolentiae, without much skill on the part of the director and screenwriter. The audience becomes attached to the protagonist, but can not forget the thousands of other slaves who were not already "free men" and therefore will never come to be. It has been chosen to tell the story from a heartbreaking point of view, too much personal; if that's okay for an autobiographical book, not the same can be said for a film nominated for an Oscar. The only ten minutes by Oscar are those in which he starred Brad Pitt; I also believe are the ten minutes the most interesting of the whole movie. For the rest, a recommended viewing, sure, but not a masterpiece.