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

Under Solomon’s direction, the workers clear the creek banks and build a narrow raft, which he tests by carrying timber upstream.

Scene 106 of 211 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act two

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:03 into a 2:22 film

The story so farBefore scene 106

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 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
At the river, Solomon watches a reed float upstream, then wades into the creek as he considers its current.
Scene 105
Solomon sketches a water route that could reduce timber transport costs; Ford agrees to let him clear the creek despite Taydem’s doubts.
Scene 106
This scene

106EXT. CREEK - DAY

WE HAVE A SERIES OF SCENES in which we see Solomon and a TEAM OF BLACKS working on the creek: CHOPPING TREES ALONG THE BANKS, widening out the shore... It's all just a trial for now. The work is diligent, but it is basic to this point. Still, under Solomon's direction, the slaves go at it like they've got something to prove. And rightly they do.

Solomon also works on a narrow raft of twelve cribs with which he will transport the timber.

Once this is constructed, HE PERSONALLY "SAILS" THEM UP THE CREEK WITH A TEST LOAD.