Very good and very hard to watch at times. All of the acting, especially by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o, is incredible. The directing never shies away from the difficult moments, leaving shots to linger for far longer than feels natural. One minor complaint is that sometimes this is less emotionally impactful and more boring - especially when the shots are of characters watching or processing the difficult events instead of showing them to us directly. From the moment the movie starts, its title gives you the feeling of hopelessness that our protagonist shares. The emotional moments hit very hard and it's very interesting to see the various attitudes regarding slavery from all of the characters - some are purely antagonistic while others are sympathetic in words but not so much in actions. It makes for a very powerful and relevant experience.

While the content of 12 Years a Slave may be hard to watch, only one watch is needed, since the story is so powerful it will stay with you for a lifetime.

To think that humans could ever act like this and treat people in such a way is truly heartbreaking Exceptional drama, powerful, disturbing, incredible, a past that should never be forgotten.