This is a very tough film. Painful, even gruesome, in parts — but what incredible acting. The young lead is superb, and the direction that has put emphasis on facial expressions, often very close up, and dramatic lighting makes it impossible to turn away from the screen. This feels like a documentary, and while it is not, it has the same impact of opening one's eyes to the horrors of slavery on the seas. Astounding. It will haunt me.
