Nyong’o, who was born in Mexico and reared in Kenya, studied at the Yale School of Drama before landing the breakout debut role of the year. She stars as Patsey in McQueen’s soul-searing drama, a slave and mistress who endures unspeakable acts of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her psychotic owners, played by fellow Oscar hopeful Michael Fassbender and Sarah Paulson.
The film intermingles beauty and brutality in a way few films of modern times have been able to. And, despite the disquieting subject matter and often-graphic imagery, 12 Years a Slave won the Audience Award at September’s Toronto Film Festival and has sparked thought-provoking discussions about race and slavery. As Ejiofor alludes, the time is right for this discussion.
“Maybe now, with the amount of time and distance, a black president, with all these sort of anniversaries, 150 years since the abolition, 50 years since the March on Washington, people feel that there’s enough time and distance to reflect on things as well as a desire to move forward,” Ejiofor surmised in his British accent.
The praise for 12 Years a Slave by the most reputable publications has been nearly universal. But there have been scant, subtle rumblings that such an American story could be directed by and star three individuals (Ejiofor and Nyong’o and director Steve McQueen) who were not born or raised inside the continental United States. But West African native Ejiofor (he was raised in London) spoke for the three when he rightfully and eloquently articulated that the slave trade was, and always has been, an international institution.
