When I walked past a shop front with this image on Friday I thought, I would never choose this carpet in a store but seeing it in use convinces me totally. Next time I need to decorate stairs, this is what I will go for!

Rating: 4/5 (after I had just watched it), 5/5 after it sunk in.

Fabulous ending but, for me, very confusing. I kept leaning over to ask Harry to explain things!

The British Curriculum doesn't teach American history so most of what I know is from films. I once took a course on Black History Studies but due to work commitments I dropped out after the first term. Well, I say "work commitments" but deep down I think some of the truths were too intense for me. Some of the knowledge actually started making me hate white people so I thought maybe I wasn't ready yet!

12 Years A Slave assumed quite a lot of knowledge and many of the scenes were horrific. The cruelty of American slave masters seemed to know no bounds but at least even within that there were a few glimpses that not everyone was so hard-hearted.

I loved the scene early in the film when a ship arrived at the port and one of the kidnapped slaves was immediately reclaimed by his master. They both seemed elated to see each other.

There were a couple of longeurs, for instance, the scene when Platt was lynched was left on for far too long - it was a very evil scene and not something that needed to be played out that long.

There were quite a few things that I didn't know, for instance, I am learning more and more that there were free black people in the North of America that led very ordinary lives. This makes me wonder:

• How integrated with society were they?
  
• What jobs were they allowed to have?
  
• How aware were they of how fellow blacks were treated on plantations in the South?
  
• How prevalent were kidnaps of free men?
  

I found the relationship between the last slave owner and Patsey most confusing:

1. Why did he pick on her when she was the best producer?
   
2. Was he attracted to her or not? If yes, how could he be so cruel to her at the same time?
   
3. The scene where he played with the little black girl confused me no end - what was the relationship between them? It just seemed so odd. He was the meanest man ever and then all of a sudden is holding hands and playing with a little black girl. This was completely incongruous to me
   

• What happened to the depressed woman who got separated from her kids?
  
• What became of her kids?
  

Then there was the scene where that white farmer seemed to have married one of the slaves. I wondered whether that was actually the case and if so, how that worked given I understand there were laws at the time that disallowed interracial marriage.

Ultimately, this is a period in time with so many stories. I wonder to what extent films depict reality. 12 Years A Slave was an interesting, yet heart-wrenching lesson for me. I could never willingly watch it again, but I would definitely watch the sequel that tied up the loose ends.

"Black People Only Get Awards For Slave Films"

I have read many comments to this effect widely on the internet and I think this is one of the worst things that has come out after the film. 12 Years A Slave was a good film period. It won best film/picture at the Oscars because it was very well acted. We still live in a world where, by and large, mainstream films don't have black people as main characters.

I personally don't think good acting has anything to do with race. If you have a good story, a great producer and find people that can act, the makings of a good picture are all there. Those who get the opportunity to act at that level have the opportunity to win amazing awards. 

I think anyone who holds the opinion that black people only win awards is rather small minded and isn't thinking about the bigger picture - not only the history - but the current status quo in terms of what producers think people will watch. 'Nuff Said...

Rating: 5/5

I can't believe I didn't review the book when I read it about four or five years ago. 

The film did the book justice (more or less) but there is obviously some depth that couldn't be included in a short film. For instance, in the book, when the slaves were being walked through the town I feel that the scene was described with more intensity and feeling compared to what I saw in the film, e.g. the thinness of the prisoners was explained in more detail.

Ultimately, I didn't know what to expect. A review in the Evening Standard suggested the film wasn't good and that Liesel's hair was too perfect. I beg to differ, I was weeping almost constantly. The film was a real tear-jerker for me and I don't cry that often!

Definitely worth reading and worth watching. Read the book first: