Oscars 2014: If We Picked The Winners (Best Adapted Screenplay)

2. John Ridley - 12 Years a Slave

A film critic, in arguing why he believed Philomena should win Best Adapted Screenplay over 12 Years a Slave, recently dismissed the effort of John Ridley by saying something to the effect that, "then Solomon hangs from a tree, then Solomon is forced to whip Patsey" more or less writes itself. While it's true that these scene were not solely the creations of the mind of Mr. Ridley, as they were actual events that took place in the life of Solomon Northup, this is an incredibly reductive view of both the film's script, and 12 Years a Slave itself. The idea that 12 Years a Slave is some obligatory racial reconciliation project unfortunately seems to be more widespread than it should be, because it really dismisses what the film accomplishes on an artistic level. While the film's beginning does come off as a bit of historical documentation while we watch Solomon as he goes through the inhumane selling process that numerous amounts of slaves had to endure, as Solomon begins developing relationships with his fellow slaves and slaveholders, first the relatively benign Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) then the sadistically unstable Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), 12 Years a Slave becomes a human drama that is not simply beholden to the subject matter of slavery. Those who view the film this way seem to be interjecting their crass notion of the "awards bait" genre where films take on weighty subject matter for the express purpose of getting a giant pat on the back for its social progressiveness. Unfortunately, there have been films made in the past with exactly this purpose, so the film's critics are not unfounded from a historical sense, but their cynicism has grown to the point where any film that takes on "tough" subject matter is automatically convicted of being intellectually dishonest, which just isn't the case with 12 Years a Slave. What makes Ridley's script so fascinating and powerful is not the milking of highly dramatic and intense moments, but rather the myriad of human dynamics simultaneously occurring in the film. First off, there is Solomon's relationship to the rest of his fellow slaves. While he clearly sympathizes with them, as a formerly free man, he also holds himself apart from them. Not only does Solomon having the feeling of superiority towards his fellow slaves (not in any malicious sense but simply from the de facto standards of the era), but he also has the sense of being a particularly tragic victim, more so than his peers, since he was a freed man. It is not until many years of repression have worn down his idea of a particularly special dignity that Solomon finally identifies himself with the rest of the slaves, in one of the most powerful scenes of the year, as he joins in a funeral chorus of Role Jordan Role. The relationship between Edwin Epps and both Patsey and Solomon is also powerfully written. As the director Steve McQueen has stated a number of times, Epps is clearly infatuated with Patsey, which creates quite the state of cognitive dissonance in his mind given his views on the inferiority of the black race. Epps' relationship with Solomon is also full of contradictions. On the one hand, Epps' can certainly tell Solomon is not a typical slave and can't help but subconsciously afford the man a slight amount of respect that he would never afford his other slaves. On the other hand, the idea that he should show any of his slaves (his property in his view) a level of respect abhors him, making him hate Solomon all the more. These paradoxical views drive an already unstable man all the crazier, which only means pain and suffering for Solomon and Patsey. These dynamics, which make 12 Years a Slave the great film it is, did not simply write themselves. While based on actual events, these themes were carefully weaved throughout this historical tale of survival by the film's screenwriter, John Ridley, who furnished quite the fine script. If Ridley wins, as I suspect he will, it will be an Oscar earned through intelligent writing, not simply because he was lucky enough to write the "slavery movie".