Welcome to PW's film reviews page. PW has written 3 reviews and rated 326 films.
Beautiful visually, mentally keeps you on your toes, you need to see the world from a larger perspective to 'get' this film. No action or much tension but musically and emotionally it has depth.
Sorry but this film really dragged for us. We didn't finish it as it felt unbelievable despite its realism and we couldn't engage with the story or characters.
On the upside this film looks amazing and is chock full of fine acting.
On the downside it has no shades of grey or true historical context - looking up the origins of the book on which the film was based makes for interesting reading and shows an awful lot of artistic license from the movie makers. Also the characters are devised simply to portray that all white men are bad, and that all black men are good which really lets the film down and patronises the viewer.
If you understand that slavery was then, and is now, appalling in all its forms then you don't need to see this film, and be warned that there are scenes of cruelty and violence that are endless and upsetting. If you have thick skin however and don't know what slavery looks or feels like check it out.