As America remains a divided country and the disgusting ideas that drove the nation into Civil War in the 1800s, one film remains an important reminder to the brutal and despicable past -- 2013's
12 Years a Slave. The film, directed by Irish auteur Steve McQueen, displayed the brutality and horror of what happened two centuries ago. The film is the true story of
Solomon Northup, a free black man living in New York State who was tricked into believing the two white friends he recently met at dinner had good intentions, turned on him and kidnapped the man and sold him into slavery where he would spend the next 12 years. The graphic and emotionally intense film starred
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, and
Brad Pitt, and won a series of Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Nyong'o for Best Supporting Actress. This film should be recommended viewing for all around the world, not just in the States, and if someone ever questions why many want Confederate monuments and flags pulled down, turn them to
12 Years A Slave. If they have any decency, they will have a change of heart.
