Today was the big day in TIFF land with the end-of-festival awards luncheon. You can find the list of award winners here.
It's rare that I actually see the People's Choice award winner during TIFF, but I was able to catch "12 Years a Slave" towards the beginning of the festival. I was knocked out by Steve McQueen's first film ("Hunger"), so it was a natural to see what he could do with a period piece and a large A-list cast.
It's a powerful film, anchored by great performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o. As the film begins, Ejiofor is living as a free man in Saratoga NY. One evening he is kidnapped and shipped south to Georgia, where he spends the next dozen years as a slave working on a few plantations before he is able to earn his freedom.
Based on the true story of Solomon Northup, the film is an unflinching look at the abuse of the men and women who endured lives as slaves prior to the American civil war. It features a busload of stars in supporting roles, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giametti, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt and Alfre Woodward.
WRT the rest of TIFF, I'll try to finish off my thoughts on the notable films I saw this year. Watch for that in the days to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment