In celebration of black films, two of the most notable movies that have hit the media landscape are 12 Years a Slave and Moonlight. 12 Years a Slave is based on a true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York; however, Solomon ends up being abducted in and sold into slavery. The Steve McQueen feature took the world by storm in 2013 and ended up with nine Oscar nominations. 12 Years a Slave would ended winning three: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). Three years later, Barry Jenkins released his masterpiece Moonlight, which is a harrowing journey about Chiron, a young and gay black man who must find out a way to deal with his masculinity in the tough streets of Miami. The 2016 feature was nominated for eight Oscars, though it only emerged with one: Best Motion Picture of the Year. Both films tackle vastly different subjects; however, 12 Years A Slave and Moonlight both left a big impact in the landscape of movies. So, which film is better? Let’s examine the two Oscar winners for the Best Motion Picture of the year.
12 Years A Slave
12 Years a Slave is brutal. In fact, this is an incredibly hard movie to watch. We’ve gotten plenty of films that tackle slavery; however, the Steve McQueen feature is the first movie to truly display the hardships and violence during Americans darkest period. While this film is never an easy watch, the unflinching brutality helps audiences understand just how terrible this time period is. Thankfully, Steve McQueen doesn’t dwell on the violence, as it’s about the hard journey that Solomon Northup has to struggle with. There’s a point where he gives up and actually accepts his fate as a slave, which is gut-wrenching. You understand this moment because Solomon is simply tired of fighting and losing. In his mind, all hope is lost and there’s no point in trying to escape a situation that most slaves come accustomed too. However, easily the most difficult story to watch is Lupita Nyong’o, who’s constantly raped by Edwin Epps and is punished for her innocence and beauty. The scene where Epps catches Patsey after she ran away to get a bar of soap is extremely tragic. You see it in Epps’s face that he knows that Patsey is telling the truth, and he also clearly loves the woman, but in his mind, he knows that he can’t be with her. Plus, it doesn’t help that he has a vindictive wife who is egging him on to beat the life out of her. The acting in this scene is tremendous and it highlights the layers these characters have. The slavery owners are terrible people; however, there’s a couple in the film who are decent human beings. Michael Fassbender’s Epps is a monster, but even he had a gentler side that keeps him from being a cartoonish figure. There’s a nice juxtaposition of characters throughout 12 Years a Slave and it helps keep the film grounded and compelling. Though the 12-year journey of Solomon Northup is filled with unforgiving violence and pain, 12 Years a Slave is an important piece that reminds the world just how horrific the time of slavery was.
Moonlight
Masculinity and sexuality were rarely addressed within the black community before Moonlight. The 2016 feature is a portrait of the culture that most black men must abide by. The thought of being gay was something vastly frowned upon and misunderstood within the community, especially with the hyper-masculinity displayed by the rap community. The film beautiful paints the picture of Chiron’s struggles growing up; however, it isn’t just about his sexuality. It’s about his identity as a black man and where he fits into the world. He lives with a mother who’s addicted to drugs. A school environment where he’s mostly bullied. And the few bright spots in his life eventually fade out as time goes by. Moonlight doesn’t feel like a simple movie. The Barry Jenkins vehicle feels like a documentary that paints the picture of a certain part of society and peels back the layers when it comes to documenting the young man. The acting is tremendous across the board. In fact, it could be argued that some of these actors deserved to win the Oscar for the 2016 film. Each of the three actors playing Chiron are perfect. As time goes on, they’re tasked with capturing the baggage of what the young man has had to deal with throughout his life and it’s the subtlety behind their movements that speaks 1000 words. This couldn’t have been without Jenkins’s superb direction as each of the moving parts within the film help add color and intrigue into the world that’s being presented. It’s a timely piece that helps bring awareness to the struggles of masculinity within the black community.
So, which film is better? Moonlight, but just barely. There are times that 12 Years a Slave is simply hard to watch. Granted, those moments are necessary for the film, but Moonlight is an easier view that still manages to address a subject that was barely covered in media and entertainment.
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