12 Years A Slave -film- [top] -

Solomon walked to the carriage. He did not run. He looked back at Patsey, still kneeling in the dirt, her eyes wide with a hope she dared not name. He wanted to grab her, to lift her into the carriage, to save her as he had been saved. But the law only cared about one free man that day.

in 2013, it was hailed as a transformative moment for American cinema. Adapted from the 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup 12 years a slave -film-

Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography contrasts the lush, golden light of the Louisiana bayou with the moral darkness of the humans inhabiting it. The beauty of the cotton fields—white specks against a blue sky—becomes a visual irony. The air is gorgeous, but the ground is hell. Solomon walked to the carriage

"Lay on, Platt. Or I'll lay it on you."

For twelve years, Northup endured the brutal plantations of Louisiana under the ownership of men like the cruel Edwin Epps. Unlike fictionalized slave narratives, Northup’s account was a legal affidavit supported by court documents. When McQueen adapted the 12 Years a Slave -film- , he stuck terrifyingly close to the source material, even using Northup’s exact dialogue in several key scenes. He wanted to grab her, to lift her