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

Solomon cleans the galley and studies Robert’s confident knife work as the captives cook.

Scene 53 of 211 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act one

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 35 min into a 2:22 film

The story so farBefore scene 53

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.
Scene 30
Solomon is drugged and abducted in New York, abruptly ending his free life and beginning his captivity.
Scene 31
After Solomon is drugged and abducted in scene 30, he wakes in chains and discovers that he has been stolen from his free life.
Just before
Scene 50
On deck, Burch pressures Eliza to drink while a woman advises her to accommodate the men for her child’s sake; Eliza slaps her hand away and refuses.
Scene 51
At Norfolk, Burch and Radburn add more captives, including battered Arthur and watchful Robert, then leave; Solomon glares after them as they sail on.
Scene 52
The captain assigns the captives shipboard labor: Robert is sent to cook, while Solomon must haul and clean despite explaining his skills.
Scene 53
This scene

53INT. ORLEANS/GALLEY - LATER

As slaves cook, Solomon cleans. He he scurries around gathering up scraps and places them in a box. As he cleans, Solomon watches as Robert preps the food. Robert obviously quite comfortable with a knife. He goes about his work with both speed and skill.