Among the great and powerful films of African-American struggles, depicting events from slavery to civil rights, stands Selma, confident in its stride towards giving the people of today a look inside what men and women faced during that time. As films like Lee Daniels' The Butler, Lincoln, and 12 Years A Slave take these conflicts and shed light on their indecent horrors, Selma yearns to do the same, as it focuses on not only the man at the front lines, but also the frightened yet inspired citizens who fight, with or without violence, towards their life goals. A fan of films of this nature, depicting the true lives of men and women who tackle their conflicts in the very real world, Selma was a harrowing delight to my eyes. Spilling out immense emotion and power at every turn, from King's many preaches to the shocking acts of violence thrown into the streets of Selma, this film is among the many films I will never forget.
Accompanied by a fluent and emotional plot of one man's determination to make things as they should be for everyone, the performances are astounding and almost poetic. Selma packs together a cast of unlikely proportions, but never fails to leave a character out in the sun. Starting with our leading man, Mr. Oyelowo, whom I've only seen in supporting roles in films like Jack Reacher and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, he complety embodies the character of King. You don't see an actor you see Martin Luther King and there is no finer compliment. Equipped with King's subtle facial features, as well as the activist's signature way with words, Oyelowo takes no prisoners. With every word he spoke, from the famous speeches to the innocent conversations with Carmen Ejogo, who plays King's wife, Oyelowo suspends time and takes our attention with force to focus solely on him. With such a jolting performance as one of America's most influential people, it is baffling that Oyelowo was not nominated for Best Actor by The Academy.
The rest of the cast is phenomenal as they play some of the top men and women who followed King in his daring quest. From Oprah Winfrey's Annie Lee Cooper to Tom Wilkinson's President Johnson, the cast does an amazing job portraying these influential people, not leaving a single character out of place. Whether it be a conflicted civilian or a political figure like Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch), who appears only for five minutes, Selma succeeds not only in dropping big names of the era, but developing a complex story that intertwines each character with one another. Other powerful performances (some not on King's side) include Tim Roth's striking role as Governor Wallace, with his Southern drawl and all, as well as Cuba Gooding Jr. as Attorney Fred Gray, who appears for only a short while, but still gives a great performance.
It is directed and presented with vitality and especially now it's more (sadly) relevant than ever between the Ferguson police murders and voter disenfranchisement in the South. When you're watching scenes that are really set pieces for the major events that unfold with people being beaten and killed ruthlessly, it's hard to watch - which is the point. DuVernay doesn't turn away, and gives it the harrowing edge of an action film. If she is at all manipulative as a filmmaker, it's for the right reasons for this story. Get people taking notice, not sitting there too complacent at a boilerplate story of black uprising. The way she shoots and executes the action, and how the actors play it - it matters.
DuVernay does an amazing job of capturing the smaller moments that allows you to connect to the King Jr. character on a very intimate level like King's letter writing to his wife and conversations with younger activists really help build his character and allow a more personal edge to the story.
Most importantly, the film feels exciting. It feels like a revolution, like an uprising. There is nothing more exciting and gripping than this tale, a tale of heroism, adversity, bravery, deception and redemption. This is all encapsulated by the speeches of the great man, wonderfully and powerfully acted by Oyelowo. The words of Martin Luther King Jr. are not to be forgotten, but treasured, as this film glorifies the role this man served in the lives of millions of people, black and white alike. Selma takes pride as it mixes the rush of protest with the voices of truth in a beautifully complex vision of how corrupt yet monumental this time really was.
Selma is out February 6th