Selma Movie Review

Selma (2014)

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Written by: Paul Webb
Directed by: Ava DuVernay
Starring: David Oyelowo , Carmen Ejogo , Tim Roth, Tom Wilkinson, Oprah Winfrey
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
Martin Luther King Jr. led the struggle to secure equal voting rights with a march in Selma, Alabama. Faced with resistance and violence his perseverance ultimately proved successful.

Verdict
Selma is an engrossing and staggering history lesson. Even if you know the story, this film is full of powerful moments. Instead of focusing on the story of King's life, which is too big for one movie, it tells the story of a protest in Selma Alabama. The performances, writing, and directing all shine.
Watch it.

Review
The events of King's life are too much for a movie, but by focusing on one event we learn who King is with a story that fits within the time constraints.
The movie is packed with powerful images. The fist scene is a tracking shot of children talking. They are interrupted by an explosion that obliterates everything on the screen. I did not expect that. The next scene is Oprah facing a registrar that refuses to register her to vote, asking her difficult questions that would stump anyone. In just a few minutes the movie illustrates the difficulties endured.

David Oyelowo provides an amazing performance as King. In his first scene he beseeches President Johnson to allow blacks the chance to vote, but is rebuffed. The President has more important matters than equality. Later J. Edgar Hoover suggests weakening King's power by disrupting his family dynamic. I like this bit of foreshadowing that the government was concerned about his power and unafraid to get involved. Throughout the movie, text appears on screen logging King's travel and communication, indicating government surveillance.

Selma - An amazing history lesson.

A peaceful protest in Selma, Alabama is met with resistance from the police force. King is arrested. Powerful imagery depicts the protesters and their protest. Equally powerful imagery shows the violence of the opposition. The struggle for civil rights was a war. It took courage not only to make a stand, but to keep going. The protest scenes are well done, though brutal.

King leads people across the bridge again. I'd like to believe it was a minority that opposed them, but that hope is in vain. It's a clever idea to focus on Selma. The story of King is so big that it's difficult to tell, but focusing on one event allows the telling of a complete story while still revealing the strength of character of not only King, but of his family and friends that struggled and fought with him. The movie does an excellent job of creating moments, culminating in President Johnson passing the equal voting rights bill and concluding with King's Selma march.

Images of the characters at the end with text overlay remind us that this is a true story, revealing victory and defeat in the future to come.