However, I've seen more obvious signs of racism in the Northern AND western states. I live in the South now and everywhere there are historical signs of the evil of slavery (including "white only" signs engraved in stone frontispiece on older buildings). I don't care what other commentators have said about Avery's acting. You'll find yourself totally engrossed in the life of Solomon Northup, feeling his pain as he tries to maintain his dignity as a free man forced into slavery. Another wise approach to the film is that the white characters are not all portrayed as stereotypical foaming at the mouth racists some are good, some are bad, some are both. Avery Brooks, admittedly not one of my favorite actors due to his tendency to overact, occasionally does so, but not enough to spoil the film (but enough to just slightly lower how many stars I gave it overall). The performances are generally good all around. Almost all of the movie focuses on his life as a slave and his strong determination never to accept that he's owned by another. He's kidnapped by two white men who sell him into slavery. The story is about the title character, a free black man struggling to make a living in the state of New York during the late 1840's. I had never heard of "Solomon Northup's Odyssey" so I didn't expect much, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good this film was.
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