Lincoln

 The film  Lincoln (sigh); am not sure why I never saw this film before now but am glad I eventually did. So where do I begin, is it the directing, Steven Spielberg weaved his director’s wand and created magic or is it the exceptional performance of Daniel Day-Lewis as American President Abraham Lincoln. It’s both of them and more.

Lincoln is partly based on Doris Kearn Godwin’s book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. The film’s main focus was the passage of the thirteenth amendment of the American constitution which would abolish slavery. The civil war was on the verge of ending and Lincoln had the urgency to get the amendment passed in the house of congress. He wanted nothing more than for this pestilence called slavery to come to an end and he feared that there would not be another opportunity like the war time to present the amendment. 

What made the film so captivating was the way Lewis bought to life the struggles of the remaining moments in Lincoln’s life: in a time when the south were battling to keep their slaves, the republicans were divided, democrats hated Lincoln, Lincoln's oldest son wanted to join the army with Lincoln afraid that he might lose his first son like he did one of his other children, fear of his wife going into a mental breakdown and the challenge of shielding his last born son from the craziness around. 

Politics like a game of chess come to life: Lincoln’s doggedness and unwillingness not to compromise his conviction that enough blood had been spilt on both sides and would not be in vain; something historical had to come out of it.

Praise to all the actors especially Daniel Dey-Lewis whose hunching walk, and sterling performance provided the audience with a window into Lincoln’s strengths and burdens and tell Lincoln’s story in tense moments.

 So if you are like me and haven’t seen it or it has been a while since you did, you should because it’s a masterpiece. Laterz and stay safe.