12 Years a Slave(R-13) 2013

12 YEARS A SLAVE deserves all the accolades and awards it received. It opened my eyes to a lot of things. Some of the things I knew about slavery and human trafficking have been sanitized. Human trafficking is real and until now, there are people who are being taken out of their comfort zones being sold. Some become prostitutes and some are forced into labor. Like this movie, some even do both, even more.

Solomon Northup was born free in New York City. He was more than comfortable. In fact, he was affluent. He was also very smart and had a very loving family and when he was kidnapped by those demented beings who pretended to be his fans, the things he thought he did not have to experience crushed all his hopes and dreams.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, for me, even if I have so much respect and admiration for Matthew McConaughey, IS the best actor among all contenders. He made me see how people who were misquoting the Holy Bible, used the Word of God to justify their actions. I knew they were not treated well, but he made me visualize it better.

John Ridley adapted his story well. Almost perfect even.

Steve McQueen(after first I thought it was the actor, Steve McQueen, because I did not know that he already crossed over in 1980) is a very good director. Sorry Señor Alfonso Cuaron. I respect you and I think you are a very talented person, but I think Mr. McQueen did a better job. No, I take it back. It's really hard to compare you two because the story of GRAVITY is something that could happen, but Solomon Northup's story REALLY happened.

Michael Fassbender was great as Epps. He was so convincing that I almost truly hated the actor and not the character he portrayed.

Lupita Nyong'o is a natural. Even if she only appeared in the latter part of the film, she brought to life Patsy. I cried when...

Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson and Paul Dano also played their parts well that I wanted to whip them(pardon me, but I'm paying them a compliment).

Benedict Cumberbatch was great here. He is definitely awesome.

EVERYONE did their jobs well.

This movie strikes more than a chord. Yes, let's keep moving forward, but we must also learn from the past.

When I was a little girl in the US of A, I was never judged because of my skin color. It was when I returned to the Philippines(yes, returned...I was NOT born inside an airplane...that was just something foolish I said when I was a teenager) that some of my classmates called me negra.

I was brought up by my parents saying everyone is beautiful. God made everyone and even if others are ugly in the eyes of many, God does not think that way.

Yet, when those classmates teased me, I couldn't help but make excuses for my skin color.

"Oh, I love to play under the sun."

"Look, my legs look lighter..."

Shucks.

I even bought those pills to make me look lighter, and when I returned to California in the 1990s I even hid under a beach umbrella so I would at the very least retain my skin color and not a shade darker. No, I did not want to be white, I just wanted to my skin to be lighter. I know my perpetual tan was appreciated there, but I knew that when I return to the Philippines, it would be a different story.

Shame on me.

I was made this way and I should be proud!

I watched ROOTS in the 1970s. Even if I did not know how much, I knew that that the African-Americans suffered and were treated even lesser than animals. Yet, even when people would not believe that I'm Belgian and Spanish descent, I would show proof that I am.

Never have I been against dark people. I have high regard for them, but when it came to me...

Oh yes. I'm one of those people who have double standards!

Anyways, I hope more people would get to see this. I guess even men would cry.

Don't worry, since we know that Solomon Northup was able to write his memoirs and was also able to publish it, we know that this movie would also give the viewers a feeling of triumph.

After the feeling of triumph something disturbed me. Did we pity Solomon Northup more because he was a freeman turned into a slave? He was not only a freeman. He was a RICH freeman.

Yikes, I am overthinking again.

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Thanks for reading this humble blog entry of mine.