There Goes Somebody's Miracle...

You know, I'm praying for it.

  • Reviews
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Just This
  • About

Explore

  • All Reviews
  • Movies
  • Books
  • @ Third Coast Review
  • Film Work

Connect

Movies · October 28, 2013

The Indie in the Blockbuster

Like Lincoln last year and [insert period drama here] before that, 12 Years A Slave has been an anticipated film for months and is expected to make quite a sweep come awards season. And like anyone keeping track of these things, 12 Years A Slave was on my list of films to see as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

So when I walked by Lincoln Plaza and noticed a show was starting right as I finished lunch, around 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon, I snagged a ticket and snuck into a single seat at the edge of a row near the middle.

And that’s when I discovered that going to a much-anticipated movie on a Sunday afternoon on the Upper West Side is the worst idea ever. I was easily the youngest person in the theater by 25 years, and every white-haired fogey around me felt the need to comment at every poignant moment of the film (and this is a film with a lot of those). They gasped at every injustice, as if they’d never before heard of racism or slavery. They questioned lines they couldn’t hear clearly, and conjectured the next plot point before it’d happened.

Despite the disrupting experience and the subsequent bad taste in my mouth as I left the theater, I’ve since managed to separate the audience from the film and realize, if slightly delayed, what an achievement Steve McQueen’s third feature truly is.

I could go through the list of outstanding elements – the noteworthy cast from Chiwetel Ejiofor’s career-making lead to Sarah Paulson’s uncharacteristically bitter supporting role to Brad Pitt’s meaningful if momentary cameo; the intensity and honesty with which the most harrowing scenes are depicted, McQueen’s refusal to gloss over the horrible reality impossible to ignore; the mind-boggling realization that this is a true story and this is what our forefathers actually did to their fellow man. All of these things, which you’ve read in any number of reviews, are accurate, never overstated.

What struck me most in the film, though, and what I find myself still considering as I think back on how the film impacted me, is the singularly independent feel McQueen manages to infuse into what could’ve quickly devolved into one-dimensional awards bait. Most notably, it’s in the persistence of certain scenes, certain shots that any other director would’ve been tempted to cut away from much, much sooner either to keep an audience’s attention or save them the prolonged discomfort. McQueen thumbs his nose at the very concept, lingering on Northup’s first brutal beating following his kidnapping, his near-lynching, the lashes he’s forced to inflict on a fellow slave. There isn’t much violence in the film, and yet the emphasis on these moments sends it’s message loud and clear: the brutality of life as a slave was real – and inexcusable. More than once I looked away from the screen, the scenes are so intense.

It’s a true testament of a film’s impact if you can experience it in the mess of an audience like I saw 12 Years A Slave and still find yourself moved by it. Though it’s too early to deem it an uncontested awards darling for the year, it will most certainly be a lead contender. And deservedly so.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr

Posted By: Lisa Trifone · In: Movies

Life in 179 minutes
Coming Soon: November

You’ll Also Love

2021 [in film]
Review: Eric Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons
Review: Some Kind of Heaven

Get on the List

About Photo
Hello! I'm Lisa, and this is—or rather I am—Somebody's Miracle. Explore everything I'm watcing, reading and baking, all my far-flung adventures and ones closer to home. Thanks for reading.

Connect

Get on the List

Subscribe for the latest posts, musings and updates directly in your inbox.

Categories

  • Reviews
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Just This
  • About

Search

From the Archives

May 2025
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul    

lisabeesa

Two years ago today, I was coming off what - until Two years ago today, I was coming off what - until that point - was the biggest adventure of my life. I bought a home. I turned 40. I spent a month in Paris. I’d hit a new career milestone. Life was every bit what I imagined it could be. 

Then I walked into a first date with a guy I met on the internet and very quickly realized my (our!) best adventure had just begun. 

Two years of getting my goat (and delighting in it), because you love to see me laugh. Two years of not just making dinners but plating them, too, because you know I like a pretty plate. Two years of grand gestures not because you’re big on gestures, but because I am.

I thought I had it all figured out, and I think I would’ve been fine if you’d never walked into my life. But good grief am I glad you did. ❤️
🎄 Holiday Playlist! 🎄 It's my favorite trad 🎄 Holiday Playlist! 🎄

It's my favorite tradition (of so many!) of the season: my annual holiday playlist. Twenty-four songs. Two hours of tunes.

Sabrina Carpenter and The Kinks. My Morning Jacket and Kacey Musgraves. Ben Folds and Bette Midler and Bad Religion. 

You can listen on Spotify at the link in my bio!

Happy, happy holidays to you and yours. Wishing you a joyful season!
I’d watch Pablo Larrain’s version of paint dry I’d watch Pablo Larrain’s version of paint drying, but thankfully his latest biopic of a famous, troubled woman (after JACKIE and SPENCER) is a far more engaging fever dream of passing time and missed opportunities.

MARIA, featuring a performance by Angelina Jolie that vibrates with vulnerability, is not perfect but it is fascinating. 

Now in theaters; on Netflix next month. Full review at the link!
My phone yelled at me this morning that I was out My phone yelled at me this morning that I was out of storage space, so over a couple cups of coffee I went back through this year’s photos and videos to purge what I don’t need on my device. 

Stumbled on this snap Brian took of me over dinner back in…June?…and honestly, I just love it. I love the way he sees me and I love the way I look when I see him. ❤️

Take care of each other. That’s all.
Eight years ago this week, @justin.f.brady and I w Eight years ago this week, @justin.f.brady and I went to see @waitressmusical on Broadway, and after the show we were treated to full band karaoke with die-hard fans. 

At the end of the show tunes lovefest, @sarabareilles—who wrote the show’s music and was hosting the karaoke—took to the mic to perform Brave, and it was more cathartic than I think any of us realized in the moment. 

It was the night before the 2016 election and none of us were (looking back now) as worried as we should have been. I had early voted, the wind seemed to be at @hillaryclinton’s back and we were ready for history to be made. 

I’ve thought about (and talked about) that moment a lot in the years since - it’s a great story! But especially today, as we’re on the eve of another monumental Election Day, I am imploring anyone reading this who may still be unsure or may not yet have a plan to be brave and vote for the person who is NOT a convicted criminal, serial sexual assaulter, con-man and dictator-in-waiting. @kamalaharris is the only way forward.

We can get back to debating policy in four years. For now, please vote for humanity, for democracy, for decency and for sanity. I wanna see you be brave.
Signs of life! 👋 I feel like I’ve been in a Signs of life! 👋 

I feel like I’ve been in a fog the last week or so, and it’s going to last at least through Tuesday…but I’m here, I promise!

Got to catch @musictheaterworks’ LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (with the lovely @yersha_la_la_la for company!) and it was delightful. Great production with just a hint of that community theater patina, a bit rough around the edges. (Is it just me or is that S in “Florist” totally upside down?!)

Full review coming soon at @thirdcoastreview!
This one gets a spot on the grid! Congrats to Drew This one gets a spot on the grid! Congrats to Drew and Jean on a beautiful wedding day and the start of an exciting new chapter. (But really, thanks for such a great reason to wear my new favorite dress! 😉)
I absolutely love this time of year. 🍂🍁 I absolutely love this time of year. 🍂🍁
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Disclosure

Copyright © 2025 There Goes Somebody's Miracle... · Theme by 17th Avenue