All of Steve McQueen's film (adapted from the real-life memoirs of Solomon Northup) is a tragedy that merits consideration. Obviously thousands of slaves died or were killed by vicious slave owners in the United States. But despite the film's ability to engross the audience into the suffering of its characters, 12 Years A Slave is ultimately a triumphant story about a man who overcomes his suffering. So for a story largely about brutality, there are surprisingly few deaths. This is not to say that somehow diminishes from the immeasurable wretchedness witnessed in the film, but a comment on the outstanding resilience of the human spirit and body. But the movie has no misconceptions surrounding the fatalism of slavery. Robert, a slave being transported in the same ship as Solomon, discusses with Solomon an attempt to escape. They ultimately decide against it, but when Robert attempts to save a woman from being raped by one of the white men on the ship he is abruptly stabbed and his life is over. Solomon and another slave are then forced to throw his body overboard, which establishes the stakes for the film and reminds you of the abject cruelty of the institutionalized nature of slavery. The fact that Robert is played by Michael K. Williams (known for playing Omar on The Wire) foregrounds the indiscriminate discrimination present in the film: it doesn't matter if a well-known actor is playing a brave character, the reality of being a slave means that your life is constantly hanging in the balance.
Bryan Hickman is a WhatCulture contributor residing in Vancouver, British Columbia. Bryan's passions include film, television, basketball, and writing about himself in the third person.
