12 Years a Slave
Movie, 2013, The 2010s, Set in Solomon
12 Years a Slave is #18 of 25 in release order and #18 of 25 in chronological order in the Hans Zimmer.
The story
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
12 Years a Slave recap
12 Years a Slave (2013) tells the true story of Solomon Northup, a free Black man from New York who is kidnapped in 1841 and sold into slavery in Louisiana. Steve McQueen directs, adapting Northup's 1853 memoir. Solomon (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a violinist and family man in Saratoga Springs, is lured to Washington by two men offering work, drugged and sold under the name Platt. His first owner, William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), a preacher, values him, but the carpenter John Tibeats (Paul Dano) attacks him and has him strung from a tree, and Ford sells him to protect him. He passes to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), a cruel cotton planter who preys on Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o), his most productive picker, while his wife (Sarah Paulson) torments her. Solomon trusts a white worker with a letter and is betrayed. Years later a Canadian carpenter, Samuel Bass (Brad Pitt), argues against slavery with Epps. The cue "Solomon" repeats a mournful string theme that holds his long endurance. The film stands alone.
12 Years a Slave ending explained
12 Years a Slave ends with Solomon freed in 1853 when a sheriff arrives with a shopkeeper who knew him in the North, after Bass secretly mailed his letter home. Patsey is left behind on the plantation. Solomon returns to his wife and children, meets a grandson, and apologises for his appearance. Closing titles say his suits against his kidnappers failed and that the date and place of his death are unknown. It won Best Picture.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch 12 Years a Slave
12 Years a Slave isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 95%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Man of Steel, before Interstellar.
- Chronological order: after Man of Steel, before Interstellar.
Cast
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup
- Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps
- Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey
- Benedict Cumberbatch as William Ford
- Paul Dano as John Tibeats
- Sarah Paulson as Mary Epps
- Adepero Oduye as Eliza
- Scoot McNairy as Brown
- Paul Giamatti as Theophilus Freeman
- Brad Pitt as Samuel Bass
- Michael Kenneth Williams as Robert
- Alfre Woodard as Mistress Shaw
Directed by Steve McQueen.