12 Years a Slave

Movie · 2013

A biographical historical drama about Solomon Northup, a free man kidnapped and sold into slavery, depicting twelve years of brutal captivity in unflinching detail. The film carries strong violence, sexual violence, nudity, and pervasive dehumanizing abuse throughout its runtime.

Sexual violenceExplicit sexual contentHarm to childrenGraphic violence & goreAbuse & manipulationSubstance abuseRacial & cultural stereotypes

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Explicit sexual contentearly in the filmModerate

An enslaved woman coerces another slave into a sexual act; the scene involves touching and brief visible nudity and is framed as desperate and sad rather than consensual.

Explicit sexual contentthe slave market sequenceModerate

Enslaved men and women are stripped naked and inspected by buyers; full frontal nudity is shown in a context of extreme dehumanization.

Sexual violencethe opening scenes on the first plantationStrong

A master rapes an enslaved young woman; the assault is shown on-screen with physical force including grabbing and slapping.

6 more moments are in the full report. See all of them, checked against your own settings, in Little Later.