Steve McQueen’s (not that one) latest feature, 12 Years A Slave, has been receiving a lot of positive word of mouth on the festival circuit lately, gathering potential Oscar buzz like tiny curious fish in the wake of its cinematic jet ski.
We gave it a rave review in our TIFF coverage, where reactions to the film were similarly orgasmic. All of this makes the planned release strategy ever more annoying. You see, the film’s not actually out yet, but the first TV spot has been released onto the internet, like a giant fish set loose from a bankrupt aquarium.
Here is that TV spot, in all its glory:
We said it in our review before but it bears repeating: the breadth across which Steve McQueen (not that one) can spread his cinematic talents, like oars across a fish-filled lake at dusk, is nothing short of incredible. That he can go from his debut Hunger, about the troubles in Northern Ireland, to Shame, a modern-day morality tale based around sex addiction, to this, a period piece set in the world of slavery, is awe-inspiring. He’s a phenomenal filmmaker, no doubt.
But how can you, the humble cinephile (disgusting), see this film? Well, Fox Searchlight have revealed their precise roll-out plans, so let them do the thinking for you. It’ll be out on October 18th in six major cities (New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Washington DC, and Atlanta), before going further on the weekend after that. It will then head into a nationwide release on November 1st.
So worry not, you’ll get to see the film. It’ll be re-released closer to Oscar season no doubt, so you’ll have plenty of chances to catch 12 Years A Slave, and see just what all the fuss is about.