Solomon Northup's story of his kidnapping and sale into slavery got widely read upon its original publication but then disappeared as the Confederates built up an idealized image of the antebellum south (exemplified in "Gone with the Wind"). Now that Northup's story has gotten brought to the screen, it's important for everyone to see it. "12 Years a Slave" not only takes an uncompromising look at the sheer brutality of slavery, but also shows how nothing could take away Northup's dignity and his hope that he would one day be a free man again. One of the ugliest scenes is the whipping of a slave for perceived disobedience.

Most of the credit goes to Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup, showing him to be a man who wouldn't let even the most vicious treatment break him. The rest of the cast deserves ample kudos, but Steve McQueen deserves credit for bringing to the screen a story that got suppressed for over a century.

This movie should also motivate us all to take a serious look at the plantation system and the fact that the US economy got built on it. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, and the White House is the product of slave labor.

In the end, this definitely deserved Best Picture. Three quarters of a century after the pro-Confederate "Gone with the End" won big, we are finally seeing atonement. If you see only one movie this year, make it "12 Years a Slave".

Steve Mcqueen is proving himself to be a director to look out for. I wasn't a huge fan of his debut, Hunger, as I found it too pro-IRA and slow. However, I thought that the directing was pretty outstanding and it had a distinct style. Shame is a film I've yet to see, but I've heard plenty of rave reviews. 12 Years a Slave looks to be Mcqueen's masterpiece. It's film-making at it's most effective and powerful. I cam away from the film feeling incredibly moved as I sat there in silence along with the rest of the crowd as the credits came up. 12 Years a Slave dares to bare all in a way that most mainstream films would be afraid of doing. Mcqueen shows all the unflinching brutality to create an overwhelming sense of power. I'm used to watching harrowing and depressing films, but these are normally little known like, Dancer in the Dark and The Seventh Continent. 12 Years a Slave is very much mainstream, yet I still found it incredibly harrowing and brutal. Mainstream audiences are go to in for a nasty shock.

The film itself has the look of a classic. Like other modern masterpieces such as, There Will Be Blood and Black Swan, the film looks grainy and the cinematography is quite beautiful. You can almost feel the scorching sun dripping off the screen. The directing is near perfection. Mcqueen goes for an art house vibe without over doing it. He keeps the camera deathly still when filming most of the brutality, such as the unflinching whipping of Solomon near the beginning of the film. This distance adds an added emotional punch for the audience as we're forced to feel every lash on his back. Equally as uncomfortable is the scene where Solomon has been left to hang and we're forced to watch him trying to stand on his tip toes for what feels like an eternity.

Another impressive aspect of the film is the stellar performances. Chiwetel is hugely convincing in the lead as the wrongly enslaved Solomon Northup. We feel his pain as he's able to draw such emotion without even saying a word. Michael Fassbender is astounding as the evil plantation owner who treats his slaves as the vermin of the Earth. Fassbender manages to pull off a convincing deep south accent, although his Irish twang is very much still trying to come out. Lupita is also distressing to watch as the slave who has lost all hope, she especially impresses in the greatest scene of the film (more on that later). The supporting cast are all brilliant also. Paul Dano is deliciously evil and Benedict Cumberbatch offers a rare glimpse of humanity among the rich slave owners.

12 Years a Slave is a film not to enjoy, but to endure. Many people would fail to see the point in going to see a film which isn't entertaining in the slightest, but I'm not one of those people. I love films which are brave, powerful and deeply emotional. The story of Solomon is a grippingly harrowing one and Steve Mcqueen forces you to watch some disturbing, yet important scenes and directs with a shattering sense of realism. The stand-out moment in the film for me was the whipping of Patsey. This scene possesses so much power and it's enough to break your heart. Mcqueen directs the scene in one long take and the emotion of it all is almost too much to bear. The grisly effects make is all the more harrowing.

Another thing I loved about the film was the fantastic music. It's unsettling at times, whether it be the strange drum music on the slave boat or the haunting lyrics to Paul Dano's solo song. However, the main score is the most shattering and only served to elevate the raw emotion it portrays on the screen. It came as no surprise to see Hans Zimmer's name appear on the end credits as he is one of the greatest cinematic composers of all time in my opinion.

12 Years a Slave is not an easy film to watch, but it's an important one. If you don't feel deeply moved or depressed when it's finished, then you must be Edwin Epps. It's all the more tragic that this film is true and something like this happened for a long time. It could've very easily become sentimental in its last emotional scene, but Mcqueen made it feel real and removed all the Hollywood gloss to create much more of an impact. It won the best picture Oscar and deservedly so. I can't help but feel that it should've won more though and it's shocking to see that it wasn't even nominated for best cinematography. 12 Years a Slave is harrowing cinema at its very best. Even if you just see it once. Be sure to see it.

"12 Years a Slave" is an unusual story about slavery and its evils because unlike most films, this one is based on the true story of a black man who was free but was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the early-mid 19th century. Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) was a happy man--with a wife and kids. However, once kidnapped, as the title suggests, he disappeared for 12 years and was treated brutally. The film shows his MANY trials--including beatings, attempted hangings and witnessing rapes and other atrocities.

The Oscar winners will be announced tomorrow and there is a lot of buzz for "12 Years a Slave" as well as "Gravity". I saw both in the last two days and would easily pick "Gravity". Now this is NOT because I think "12 Years a Slave" is a bad film. No, it's quite good. However, it's also a rather straight-forward narrative punctuated by many scenes of brutality--and not all that different from films such as "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman", "Roots" or "Amistad". It's all very sad but doesn't really break much new ground. Whereas the entire production of "Gravity" is unlike anything ever made before--and has a completely unique and breathtaking space adventure that looks and feels as if you are there. To me, this makes "Gravity" my pick--though both are very good films.

By the way, I mentioned the brutality in "12 Years a Slave". All of it was very appropriate to include in the film but it's simply too rough for kids. Think twice before you allow younger viewers to watch it or, better yet, watch it with them.