12 Years a Slave (2013)

12 Years a Slave parents guide

The thing to know: strong sex and nudity, more than an R usually carries. Beyond that, brutal violence and some strong language.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

None noted

Gore

Graphic gore

Blood and wounds shown clearly.

Violence

Brutal violence

Our top level for violence.

Sex and nudity

Strong

Strong means explicit or repeated sex, extended nudity, or sexual assault shown on screen, attempted or completed, even partly off screen. Any one of these is enough.

Language

Moderate

Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is 12 Years a Slave scary?

Only a little. 12 Years a Slave has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is 12 Years a Slave?

Graphic gore and brutal violence. If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.

What is 12 Years a Slave rated, and is it OK for kids?

Strong sex and nudity, brutal violence, and some strong language. The R is earned, so not for kids.

What is 12 Years a Slave about?

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.

Cast and crew

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12 Years a Slave is on our True stories, Based on books, Best Picture winners, Best Picture nominees and 2010s lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “funny but not stupid, under two hours”

Lists with the same feel: Tearjerkers and Most violent.