I wish this movie can be discussed outside my blog, but I fear it will start up a controversy and go into politics.

There are a lot of words to be said about this movie: Brutal, uncompromising, and gritty.

The GA community may little note or care about this movie, but I hope that there are a few that may take it up for viewing. The realism is scary, because even when viewing it from an unaligned viewpoint like mine, I could see how American society could have voluntarily accepted slavery for so long; even with our standards today. It goes with a saying: "You might know your friend is dating the wrong girl, but you can't tell him that". It is not about human rights, decency, or morality, because those things a majority of Americans can agree on. We are divided by the question of what is an American?

People have heralded this movie as a masterpiece of the genre of antebellum movies, depicting a socially and morally corrupt South, and an American Society that allows it to flourish. This not just an indictment against Southerners; it is a charge against American Principles from our very founding. This is no Gone with the Winds, nor is it a Tarantino's Django revenge flick. It lays bear the human story of slavery.

I am not going to give away spoilers in this review and I will keep it short, because it deserves to be seen to be believed as an American tragedy. Last year, Lincoln was lacking a spark that made the issue big enough to be a point of contention. This year, 12 Years A Salve has made that point clear for moviegoers. People, who view it today might have joined the Abolitionist cause as well after hearing, seeing, and visually reading it.

WL's Review for 12 Years A Slave:

5/5