‘12 Years a Slave’ is one of the great cinematic achievements of the decade so far. Director Steve McQueen has helmed a film that is often unbearable to watch, yet which is simultaneously absolutely compelling.
The film’s screenplay is adapted from the memoirs of Solomon Northup, a free man from New York, who was abducted and sold into slavery in 1841, ultimately becoming the property of plantation owners in Louisiana. The story traces his experiences during his time as a…