12 Years a Slave · written by John Ridley and Steve McQueen · 2013

At the river, Solomon watches a reed float upstream, then wades into the creek as he considers its current.

Scene 104 of 211 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act two

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:02 into a 2:22 film

The story so farBefore scene 104

After being kidnapped from New York and sold into slavery, Solomon Northup uses his skills and carefully placed trust to survive and seek a way back to his family.

Scenes 1–29
Solomon lives freely in Saratoga as a husband, father, worker, and musician.
Scenes 30–65
Kidnapped and held under the imposed name Platt, Solomon must preserve his life and identity.
Scene 86
Ford takes Solomon, Harry, and Eliza from Freeman; Eliza is dragged away from Emily, committing Solomon to plantation life and its family separations.
Scene 87
Ford brings Solomon and the other captives into plantation life; Solomon must survive within a system that denies his identity.
Just before
Scene 101
Solomon and the enslaved men continue cutting timber in the woods.
Scene 102
On the road to the mill, Walton’s wagon stops for a group of Chickasaw travelers; the two groups regard one another across the road.
Scene 103
The Chickasaws share roasted deer and a pipe with the workers, then play and dance; Solomon is drawn to their fiddle music before leaving the gathering.
Scene 104
This scene

104EXT. RIVER BANK - CONTINUOUS

Solomon arrives to some tall grass at the edge of the river. Lowering his trousers, SOLOMON SQUATS TO DEFECATE. As he does, he stares out toward the flowing waters of Indian Creek. After a few moments, as though a thought far greater than relieving himself has come to him, Solomon stands and replaces his pants. He goes out to the water. Taking a reed he throws it into the creek and watches it float upstream.

Then, as though he were a man possessed, Solomon wades out into the water. Stands in the heart of it as it flows around him.