( CNN ) -- The image of Solomon Northup 's body hanging from a tree -- noose around his neck , hands tied behind his back , feet barely touching the ground -- is uncomfortable to look at . And Steve McQueen , director of `` 12 Years a Slave , '' does not spare the audience with an expedient exit . There is no overbearing soundtrack to drown out the sound of him gasping for air . For what feels like an eternity , McQueen makes us watch . He makes us listen . He makes us know the truth about slavery in a way no Hollywood film in recent memory has . The beatings are not brief . Christianity is not spared . There are no scenes of white heroes racing against time to save him or undo the injustice that is being done . As he hangs there , we hear the birds singing . We see the sun fading . We feel the fear coursing through the body of a slave who risks her own life just to bring him a sip of water . The film shows unflinching moments that shed an unflattering light on something our culture prefers to gloss over , perhaps as a way of healing . Just like calling people who point out racial inequality `` race baiters '' is supposedly an effective way to move on . Oh , we 're willing to talk about slavery . But we like the stories told like `` Lincoln '' : inspirational , with redeemable characters and very few scenes of actual slavery because , well , that 's a downer . Because of this , McQueen 's Oscar nomination for best director is welcomed , Chiwetel Ejiofor 's performance as Northup worthy of praise and the best picture nomination for `` 12 Years '' deserving . And yet , in one important way , something is missing . For if the Oscars were held today and `` 12 Years '' won best picture -- as some favor it to do -- it would be one of the lowest-grossing winners of the award ever . With proceeds just a hair under $ 40 million since its October release , it would join `` The Hurt Locker , '' `` The English Patient , '' `` Amadeus '' and `` The Artist '' as the only best picture winners not to crack the top five at the box office . To put this in perspective , the latest Tyler Perry in drag movie made more in less than a month . There is a chance that could change , because historically , there is a surge in interest in movies that are Oscar darlings . Even `` The Hurt Locker '' -- the lowest-grossing best picture winner to date -- enjoyed an 11.9 % increase in box office receipts after Oscar nominations were announced . When the film won best picture , it jumped 13.6 % from the week prior to the win . Perhaps in anticipation of a similar increase in demand -- and on the heels of a best drama win at the Golden Globes -- Fox Searchlight is reportedly planning to bring the movie to 500 more theaters this upcoming weekend , with the goal of raising the total to 1,000 in the next two weeks . Before the Globes , `` 12 Years '' was in only 114 theaters . The film will be in position to make more money . The question is : Who will go see it ? Because word on the street is that `` 12 Years '' is an unapologetic portrayal of our ugly past , and Americans prefer our history with some nips and tucks . Even now , as we are about to celebrate the birthday of the Rev . Martin Luther King Jr. , we prefer to talk about the impact of his dream while limiting the mention of the nightmares that gave birth to that dream . How many of us will pay to see the scathing truth when refuge in fantasies are far more comforting ? How many of us are ready for a film whose narrative is not dominated by white protagonists but rather a free black man who , in 1841 , was kidnapped , tortured and sold ? To see `` 12 Years '' is to find out that `` nigga '' as a term of endearment is a misguided delusion . To see `` 12 Years '' is to see the full story of what those who fought under the shadow of the Confederate flag gave their lives to keep . To see `` 12 Years '' is to see that the claim that the black people who picked cotton in the field with the star of `` Duck Dynasty '' were `` happy '' is a racist insult . The movie is an unsanitized portrait of a nation 's shameful past . It is two hours of breathing in the antebellum South and then walking out of the theater trying to pretend the stench is all gone . There is no question that `` 12 Years a Slave '' was the best picture of 2013 . But as the box office receipts show , not many of us are ready for that kind of honesty . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson .
LZ Granderson : ` ` 12 Years a Slave '' deserves praises for its unflinching portrayal . Granderson : Even though it 's a contender for awards , it has n't attracted many viewers . He says many people may not be ready to see a movie about our ugly past . Jones : ` ` ' Years '' the best picture for sure , but who will see it ?