Topic of the Day: '12 Years A Slave' vs. 'Django Unchained'

Hello, Bloggers, for today's Topic of the Day, I figured I'd discuss two films that people seem to be making comparisons to and contrasting nowadays since the former film's release: Both 12 Years A Slave and Django Unchained. Two films that cover the topic of slavery but from different points of view. Here we go:

First I'll get into 12 Years A Slave. Now, 12 Years deals is based on a real-life man's harrowing experience when he was a free man that was captured and sold into slavery. 12 Years A Slave showcases just the grimness of what he had to deal with. Not just him, but the treatment of other slaves he encounters. When we get those scenes where our main protagonist is going through cruelty, the director never cuts away from it. He just gives us long tracking shots of our main protagonist being treated as a non-human. As I said in my review, 12 Years is much more in the vein of Schindler's List, which of course shows the grimness of the Holocaust

Next, I'll get into Django Unchained, which is more in the vein of Quentin Tarantino's previous work, such as Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds. Now, while Django is an outstanding picture and succeeds in its own right and has quite some fine directing and acting, it's much more of a fable than 12 Years is. Django offers a story about a slave seeking revenge that is pure escapism but it is entertaining to watch. It is a story that even I wish were real, as it deals with a slave killing slave owners that are piece of crap human beings.

But, aside from how both films approach slavery on a realistic scale, how do they work as films in general? Well, 12 Years A Slave works well as an artistic movie. You may not have the most pleasant reaction watching this, but it will give you a reaction. That is pretty much the central goal of art in general. It either makes you really happy, really sad, or really angry. This film will more than likely make you feel the last two emotions. But Django Unchained is a fun popcorn flick. It does have a few moments where they do showcase the harsh treatment of slaves, but it still is meant to entertain you for three hours and get your blood going as the action gives you a rush.


So, that is my contrast of both 12 Years A Slave and Django Unchained which cover the same topic but offer different perspectives. If you have seen both films and want to share your thoughts as to why they are different or similar, please feel free to write in the comments section. Thanks for reading!