Two-horse race for "Best Picture"

To historian Brenda Stevenson, a scholar on American slavery, 12 Years a Slave is a masterful cinematic work that achieves more than any other film on slavery, so worthy that she plans to screen it in classes at her university, UCLA.

It’s the kind of validation the film has been earning from experts, critics, audiences, and the film industry for six months now. Even so, the acclaimed drama may falter in the final test, losing out on the most coveted of movie prizes, the Academy Award for best picture.

The film from British director Steve McQueen appears to be the frontrunner for film’s highest honour at tomorrow night’s ceremony, but has at least three factors conspiring against it: another high-quality, groundbreaking film called Gravity; the tricky maths of Oscar voting; and the film’s own brutal depiction of American slavery.