"12 Years A Slave" - go see it, but go prepared
I just saw "12 Years a Slave" and am really really glad that I did.
My friend and I almost changed our minds and thought it would be easier to see another movie. He even looked up times just incase we didn't think we could handle it.
I'm really glad we stuck with it, but I'm guessing the other movie would have been easier to watch.
During particular scenes I legitimately think if I could have exited the theater and been sick.
Some scenes were just that hard to watch. However, they were necessary. If it would have been easy to watch and wouldn't have evoked such strong emotions and reactions - then the movie wouldn't have been doing justice to the issue at hand.
The subject matter, directing, and acting is really what combined to create such a powerful movie.
I've studied slavery and been taught about it (briefly) throughout my education, but I've never truly connected a sense of responsibility to it. Being from the 'south' has never had such a twisted meaning when looking into the past. And of course I know this is years ago, but my friend pointed out that it's only a few generations removed from us...and that in itself is a scary thought. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to think that I would have been the exception, as a white woman during those times, but sadly so so so so many people in a position of power weren't the exception, they were rule. They were told they had the right to own another human being and to do with that human being whatever they choose, they were nothing more than property. (a word I'm blessed enough to not have to carry around as a way to describe my own identity)
The strangest thing is that I can't even pinpoint exactly who to blame to even attempt to make myself feel better - awful cruelty and even slavery still happen today. It's not something that anyone can look at and say 'Well everything is pretty dandy and equal now.' because that wouldn't be the truth.
In the grand scheme the movie brought about the most emotional reactions from me personally because of the broader themes it transcended. While it did a wonderful job of creating the scenes realistically and intensely - those scenes also resonated into a bigger picture. A picture that if you break it down simply is all about humanity and compassion. But sadly power and money seem to always be in opposition with humanity and compassion.
As awful and depressing as all this is and sounds, the positive is that through experiencing and empathizing even in the slightest, even if it's for 2 hours in a movie theater, it can still make you more aware of an issue or experience. It's through awareness that we can attempt to recognize an issue and change it. Even if it's just an instance at work or school, we don't have to tackle the issue globally, first and foremost we can try and address humanity and compassion right around us. And for that reason I'm really glad we didn't take the other movie option up.
be love.
and damn it, try to be love to everyone.
Something I have to constantly work on myself.
My friend and I almost changed our minds and thought it would be easier to see another movie. He even looked up times just incase we didn't think we could handle it.
I'm really glad we stuck with it, but I'm guessing the other movie would have been easier to watch.
During particular scenes I legitimately think if I could have exited the theater and been sick.
Some scenes were just that hard to watch. However, they were necessary. If it would have been easy to watch and wouldn't have evoked such strong emotions and reactions - then the movie wouldn't have been doing justice to the issue at hand.
The subject matter, directing, and acting is really what combined to create such a powerful movie.
I've studied slavery and been taught about it (briefly) throughout my education, but I've never truly connected a sense of responsibility to it. Being from the 'south' has never had such a twisted meaning when looking into the past. And of course I know this is years ago, but my friend pointed out that it's only a few generations removed from us...and that in itself is a scary thought. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to think that I would have been the exception, as a white woman during those times, but sadly so so so so many people in a position of power weren't the exception, they were rule. They were told they had the right to own another human being and to do with that human being whatever they choose, they were nothing more than property. (a word I'm blessed enough to not have to carry around as a way to describe my own identity)
The strangest thing is that I can't even pinpoint exactly who to blame to even attempt to make myself feel better - awful cruelty and even slavery still happen today. It's not something that anyone can look at and say 'Well everything is pretty dandy and equal now.' because that wouldn't be the truth.
In the grand scheme the movie brought about the most emotional reactions from me personally because of the broader themes it transcended. While it did a wonderful job of creating the scenes realistically and intensely - those scenes also resonated into a bigger picture. A picture that if you break it down simply is all about humanity and compassion. But sadly power and money seem to always be in opposition with humanity and compassion.
As awful and depressing as all this is and sounds, the positive is that through experiencing and empathizing even in the slightest, even if it's for 2 hours in a movie theater, it can still make you more aware of an issue or experience. It's through awareness that we can attempt to recognize an issue and change it. Even if it's just an instance at work or school, we don't have to tackle the issue globally, first and foremost we can try and address humanity and compassion right around us. And for that reason I'm really glad we didn't take the other movie option up.
be love.
and damn it, try to be love to everyone.
Something I have to constantly work on myself.
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