This impressive episode, the life story of a man who for more than a decade fought with all his might to stay alive and thus regain his original status and return to his family in due condition, was only made known to a larger audience thanks to the interest of the star Brad Pitt, who, in addition to a special participation, at the end of the action, is also one of the producers of this film version of the homonymous book written by Solomon Northup himself. This fact - as well as the title also suggests - points in advance to an inevitable conclusion: regardless of what happened to him, Northup survived. Therefore, despite so many others in the same - or worse - situation than him, the big question here is to investigate what are the merits and differentials, whether in form or content, that distinguishes him from other similar plots so often explored before by cinema. Worldwide.

Solomon's journey to regain his freedom is nothing short of harrowing. McQueen shows us slavery for what it is: merciless, painful and brutal. Families were separated, scars marked the bodies of slaves through the countless tortures they suffered, bodies were mutilated... among various evils, McQueen challenges not only the public itself to face that reality today ignored by many, but also asks, without fear, a question raised by the most resentful: would it be ethically correct to film slavery in such a way? With his film, McQueen throws this issue downhill and emphasizes the importance of the theme and the relevance of the need to still discuss it today.

Going beyond the theme itself, "12 Years a Slave" is a film that highlights the very rottenness of human beings. Solomon is betrayed and deceived by those closest to him, he is the victim of tortures that don't even need whipping to make us agonize because they are so cruel (like the long shot where Solomon is placed hanging a few meters from the ground in a tree), and at a certain moment, is forced to flog the slave Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) until she skins him. It's strong moments like this that mark 12 Years a Slave, since the goal is, in fact, to highlight the unknown limits of human beings, something McQueen does with praise.

John Ridley's powerful script clearly establishes the ownership relationship between whites and blacks. Slaves are treated like merchandise, which must serve in rural activities, giving good results to their masters. Between lashes and humiliations, there is no differentiation of sex or physical capacity. They were bought to serve, otherwise they are punished. By exploring the forced reintegration of blacks into slavery, the script does not need didactic explanations about the system at the time. What is relevant for Ridley is to show the horror experienced by one among many other blacks at the time, trapped in an unfair and painful routine.

To try to survive, Platt hides that he is literate, as the consequences would be worse. The idea is that, over time, he will conquer his masters and, who knows, be freed from slavery. But it's not that simple. The conflicts that appear will question Platt's resistance and the abuses suffered by him and his companions affect his subservience. The relationship he maintains with Patsey, experienced by newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, is delicate. In addition to being black, she is a woman, who submits to her master's excessive affection, but who would choose to die to find peace. Nyong'o, nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress, has one of the most delicate and sensitive moments in the plot, as well as the cruelest of them.

Chiwetel Ejifor intelligently embodies the protagonist. His vulnerabilities and his belief that time and justice will resolve that situation give the character the strength he needs. His relationship with his two main masters, played by Cumberbatch and Fassbender, are overwhelming, especially with the latter. Fassbender builds an obnoxious, ostentatious, intelligent type. The power he has in his hands, which goes far beyond the whip he carries, blinds him and even affects his wife, the estranged Mrs. Epps, strong participation of actress Sarah Paulson. Cumberbatch, on the other hand, an apparently good man who perhaps does not quite understand that slavery exceeds the meaning of existence, gives false hope that Platt can be saved. Also noteworthy is the participation of Brad Pitt, who is also a producer of the feature and may win his first Oscar, who appears in the last act as a breath of hope for Solomon.

Meanwhile, newcomer Lupita Nyong'o suggests a world of pain by embodying a double dose of oppression: black and woman, the girl is doubly inferior. However, perceiving herself favored by the attraction she exerts on the "owner", she adopts the pragmatic position of submitting to live, resulting in a suffered performance that exposes the limits of a woman who perhaps prefers to die than just survive thanks to " favors" of a sadistic and unpredictable "master" - and one of the virtues of Fassbender's performance lies in his effort to avoid turning Epps into a caricature, since the subject really seems to believe that he is only exercising a role bestowed by the Bible and God.

With an impeccable technical team, the grandiose locations are also valued for their detailed production design and superb costumes. Sean Bobbitt's photography, who collaborated with McQueen in his two previous films, "Shame" and "Hunger", plays with the limits of the screen and with tones, not always cold and not always warm. Featuring a beautiful soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, who substitutes tragedy for melancholy in its themes, 12 Years a Slave is also touching, as it brings several moments in which we accompany those suffering beings who surrender to the singing that would eventually become the beautiful blues (which, no wonder, is a word used to describe sadness).

And if the strength of the script is evidenced by the strong performances, Steve McQueen's direction could not be more effective. The filmmaker elaborates a dynamic narrative, which never tires the audience. The always well-elaborated plans take as much meaning out of each situation as they can, either to thrill or to shock. McQueen does not spare the viewer the shock, being almost impossible not to share the pain that the film exudes. Highlight for the long shots that expose the irreparable situation of the protagonist tied to a tree, while the other slaves continue their routines "without realizing it". Absent from showing the passage of time with didacticism, through cards or a montage that would certainly become confusing, the ellipses are well punctuated and we see time pass through the wear and tear and appearance of the protagonist.

Narrated in a traditional way by McQueen - who here is much more restrained and conventional than in his previous work, the disturbing "Shame (2011)" - we have here a film that will do well in a history class, but which lacks the filmic elements that the allow us to go beyond this initial impression. Everything happens in a rather novelistic progression, with a beginning, middle and end, without surprises or twists. The villains are all very well identified, and no one has the slightest doubt about who to "root". It's very black and white, which inevitably sounds disjointed in today's increasingly gray world.

After being captured, Solomon is treated like an animal. Any viewer who has watched at least one episode of the classic miniseries Roots (1977) knows what to expect from then on. Our protagonist is mistreated, despised, offended, cruelly punished simply because his skin color is dark. At the first opportunity, since he is treated as a valuable commodity, he is sold to the highest bidder. Sent to a farm, he begins standard work, which seems to go beyond field activities. One or two disagreements later, he is transferred to another owner, this one, yes, the richer and more interesting kind - the insane red-haired farmer played by Michael Fassbender offers a light that the film has been distressing since its inception. The barbarities get worse, but when the worst is about to happen, a deus ex machina comes up with a providential solution under his arm. And as free as it all began; this story of evident despair and rare identification ends.

In addition to being an exemplary cinematic experience, where language and aesthetics are perfectly developed, "12 Years a Slave" goes down in History by portraying with rawness, but without losing sensitivity, one of the most infamous periods of all time. Thus, Steve McQueen makes an obligatory film. The final scene, simply chilling, gives hope that one day the world will be less cruel and that love will solve most of our problems. The United States is a country of immense contradictions. And, precisely because of this, we see them atoning for their sins and guilt as a nation through cultural manifestations. Being the cinema the biggest and most popular of them, how can you not come across cases like this with a certain regularity? It is, in a deeper analysis, a correct report, which does justice to the report on which it is based, but which fails precisely for being satisfied with what is evident to it, limiting itself to what was within its reach, without dare to be creative. This fact, ultimately, is what differentiates genius from mediocre.