‘Atonement’
When Briony Tallis, a 13-year-old aspiring writer, sees her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner at the fountain in front of the family estate, she misinterprets what is happening, thus setting into motion a series of misunderstandings and a childish pique that will have lasting repercussions for all of them. Robbie is the son of a family servant toward whom the family has always been kind. They paid for his time at Cambridge and now he plans on going to medical school. After the fountain incident, Briony reads a letter intended for Cecilia and concludes that Robbie is a deviant. When her cousin Lola is raped, she tells the police that it was Robbie she saw committing the deed.
This is quite possibly the creepiest role Cumberbatch has ever played. Paul Marshall is a visiting friend of the family who is incredibly disturbing around young girls. His screen time is minimal, but the character will leave a lasting impression.
‘Warhorse’
Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. Albert’s hopeful journey takes him out of England and to the front lines as the war rages on.
Cumberbatch plays Captain Jamie Stewart, the leader of the cavalry that attacks a German camp on horseback. His horse is Topthorn, who helps train Albert’s horse.
‘August: Osage County’
A look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.
In this film, Cumberbatch plays the cousin to three women who have returned for their father’s funeral. He isn’t very successful in life, and his mother constantly puts him down. His character is shy, awkward and can play the piano.
’12 Years a Slave’
Based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner), as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
Cumberbatch plays the slave owner, William Ford, who is somewhat kind to Northup and allows him show his true potential. Unfortunately, an incident with a racist carpenter forces Ford to sell Northup to much less kind slave owner Edwin Epps.
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