12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave (2013) is Steve McQueen's historical drama, available to watch online on iFILM. It draws on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free Black violinist from New York State.

The year is 1841. Two men lure Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to Washington with a paying job, drug him, and sell him south into bondage. For more than a decade he passes between owners — from the conflicted planter Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) to the brutal Epps (Michael Fassbender) — fighting each day just to stay alive and hold on to who he is. Lupita Nyong'o won an Academy Award as Patsey; Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson and Brad Pitt round out the cast.

The film took three Oscars, including Best Picture. McQueen films suffering without a swelling score: long held shots, and a silence you can hear. John Ridley's screenplay stays close to Northup's own words. Watch 12 Years a Slave (2013) online on iFILM.