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

Solomon wakes chained in a dark cell, struggles against his restraints until exhausted, then collapses.

Scene 31 of 211 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act one

Inciting Incident

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 19 min into a 2:22 film

The story so farBefore scene 31

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.
Just before
Scene 28
Hamilton settles the feverish Solomon in bed and strokes his face; Brown cuts the intimate moment short, and the men leave him alone in darkness.
Scene 29
Barely able to stand, Solomon reaches the hotel kitchen for water, composes himself before the servants, and returns to his room.
Scene 30
Three men enter Solomon’s room and carry off the weakened, feverish man while he cannot resist.
Scene 31
This scene

31INT. BURCH'S DUNGEON - MORNING

Solomon stirs, then slowly awakes to his new circumstances. He finds himself in a nearly lightless room about twelve feet square with walls of solid masonry. There is a thick and well-locked door, a small window covered with iron bars and a shutter. The only furniture is a wood stool and an old fashioned, dirty box stove. As Solomon rises he sees that he is in chains, his HANDS CUFFED - the chain running to a bolt in the ground - and his LEGS IN IRONS. At first Solomon is incredulous. But that emotion is replaced first by fury and then panic. He begins to pull on the chains, fight against them. He does so with increasing desperation. Solomon flails about, the sounds of the steel chains whipping and beating against the masonry. He grunts and screams without regard as the cuffs and irons bite into his flesh, but he cannot pull himself free.

After several minutes of intense effort, Solomon tires, slows, then finally he collapses. And in this collapsed state he remains.