Plot: In 1841, the Afro-American violinist Solomon Northup is a free man, living with his wife and children in Saratoga Springs, New York. He is hired by two men for a two-week tour in Washington with their theatrical company. However Solomon is kidnapped and sold as a slave in New Orleans with the nickname Platt. Along twelve years, he works in the plantations and has abusive treatment of his masters, until the day he meets the Canadian abolitionist Bass that promises to send a letter to his family.
Alternative Plot: In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon's life forever.
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