The last week of February is also the last week of Black History Month, which we are going to note by celebrating all this week in our Movie of the Day series. And why not start with the movie of the moment, the Best Picture frontrunner itself? 12 Years a Slave was a powerful account of the life of Solomon Northup, who was kidnapped into slavery from the North in 1841 and spent more than a decade on Southern plantations before finally gaining back his freedom. Chiwetel Ejiofor turned in an affecting performance of a man trapped in devastating circumstances, and the rest of the cast is filled out by an ensemble that includes Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt. A powerfully moving film.
Trailer:
