“12 Years A Slave” is the story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a born-free black man from New York, kidnapped in Washington D.C. and made a slave in 1841. Solomon Northup is a talented violinist and married man with children living a normal life. One day he’s invited by two men to perform with them in Washington D.C. There, after being drugged, Northup finds himself chained in a cell ready to be sold as a slave.

His life turns into a Kafkaesque nightmare. Asked to forget his real identity Solomon Northup is taken to a plantation owned by William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) an empathetic slave owner and preacher. After an incident with an overseer our main character is transferred to new plantation owners, the sadistic Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) and his abusive wife Mary (Sarah Paulson).

The slave experience is characterized by daily whippings, torture and all kinds of abuse. Like in his movie “Hunger,” Steve McQueen films bodies subjected to extreme situations. Other slaves were immersed in this system since there were born. Northup, who was born free, experiences this for the first time. There are hard scenes to watch. Steve McQueen avoids sentimentality but the violence never feels gratuitous.

Though adapted from Solomon Northup’s memoir “Twelve Years A Slave,” Steve McQueen doesn’t sacrifice his aesthetic ambitions in favor of the narrative.  The movie is visually beautiful. McQueen pays attention to details and draws a haunting painting of the antebellum South like we’ve never seen before. The ensemble cast lead by Chiwetel Ejiofor is strong. A special mention to the brilliant Lupita Nyong’o who plays Patsey, a young slave girl subjected to her master’s sadistic drives.

At first it was disturbing to hear the score from “Inception” used in “12 Years A Slave.” At the end of the movie, it made sense. Using a score from another movie is a way to universalize this specific story but it also makes Solomon Northup more than a historical hero. Like Dominick Cobb, Solomon Northup becomes a true and epic movie hero right before our eyes. A must-see.