15 Movies From This Decade (So Far) Destined To Become Classics

9. 12 Years A Slave

From the horrors of the Holocaust to the centuries-long injustice of the slave trade, like Ida, Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave tackles the kind of subject matter movie studios reserve for their prestige projects. McQueen's directorial calibre has long been on display with his earlier films Hunger and Shame, and while 12 Years A Slave is certainly more mainstream in its structure, direction and most obviously editing, it nevertheless packs an emotional punch as it recounts the years Solomon Northup spends as a slave on the plantations of America's southern states. 12 Years A Slave received a great deal of praise and was noted as a belated movie dealing with a topic which has been overlooked for many years; while it certainly marked a turning point in the American film industry's willingness to examine a difficult period in history, the sheer craftsmanship on display from both McQueen and his exceptional cast make it a significant film, irrespective of its underlying message of racial bigotry and tolerance.