12 Years a Slave is an indication of power in the human spirit and lasting hope. Even though Solomon Northup was kidnapped, beaten, and stripped of his rights, he still hoped that one day he would be a free man. He hoped that if his friends in the North knew of his misadventure they would surely come to his rescue. Ultimately, according to his testimony, it is indeed true that hope, faith and determination can ultimately lead to jubilation. However, McQueen's film is fundamentally divided in its attempt to create and replicate the trauma and violence of slaves through what are called "realistic images". Framed by what is not there and using realistic images, the film 12 Years a Slave portrays the instability of representation and impossibly recreates the ordeal experienced by the slaves and their trauma. In light of this, the article attempts to analyze the paradoxical ambiguity about the use of realistic imagery in McQueen's film, 12 Years a Slave in the depiction of slave trauma and violence and the prevailing discourses regarding