"12 Years a Slave," a film directed by Steve McQueen and co-produced by Brad Pitt, has received ecstatic reviews after it was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

Tim Robey of The Telegraph wrote, "When have we had to confront, as we surely must, the raw experience of (slavery), the hell of it, the brutality, indignity and rage? Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave, which just premiered in Toronto, supplies all of the above in shattering doses, but it's the nobility of this remarkable film that pierces the soul."

The audience sobbed and cried, and in the end gave the movie a standing ovation.

"This is one of those visual experiences..." Brad Pitt said during an interview with Variety.  "It's just humbling and it's a real honor for us to be able to watch the audience watch it, to experience it... it's what it's all about."

"12 Years a Slave" is a film based on Solomon Northup's autobiography of the same title.  Northup was a free man in New York back in the mid-1800s, but was duped, kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841.  Having been separated from his family and with his freedom taken away from him, he suffered the hardships of working in the plantations in Louisiana for 12 years until he was released.

"It's pretty special," Pitt added.  "It's one of those rare moments where story, performance and storytelling come together at the level.  We're very proud of it."

Among the cast are: Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup; Michael Fassbender as the cruel plantation owner Edwin Epps; Benedict Cumberbatch as William Ford, Northup's first owner; Paul Dano as John Tibeats; Paul Giamatti as Theophilus Freeman; Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey, another slave on the Epps plantation; and Brad Pitt as Samuel Bass, a sympatheric Canadian carpenter.

"Ultimately, the story is about our responsibility to each other and to take care of each other," Pitt said in an interview with E!  "It's an incredible movie, it's a must-see, I tell you."

Watch the trailer here: