9/10

There has been no better time for a film centering around peaceful protest. The film chronicles the troubling three month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr led a dangerous campaign to acheive equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernays SELMA tells the real story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. Something i found that made this film different from recent biopics is that the film is called “Selma”, so it’s not so much a telling of King’s life story, but instead about the tribulations facing a city stuck in the past. It’s rare that such a great film is released in January, and i could definitely see this one being at the top of my list come the end of 2015. Oyelowo is a sure fire Oscar contender. His portrayal of King is so real, that i often wondered if the film was positioning real life historical footage into certain scenes. The voice, the accent, the look, and the soft spoken but powerful demeanor completes Oyelowo’s transition into one of history’s most important figures. One amazing thing to me is finding out David is a British born actor, and his accent never once popped during the film. There are many films when i notice even the smallest of accents peaking out, and it completely takes me out of the moment. This was not the case with the film’s lead. The rest of the cast is exceptionally valuable to a script that was important to a lot of celebrities. Tim Roth was so despicable, but never over the line as Governor George Wallace. There are many times where you feel Wallace is so close to saying something he will ultimately regret. It was refreshing to see Roth as a villain in a film, and i think that the film would be lost without his antagonist to the revolution. Tom Wilkinson also gives a very eye opening performance as president Lyndon Johnson. The film does no favors to Johnson in regards to the pressures he faced from both sides of the argument. Wilkinson is a master of on screen psychology, and i wouldn’t be surprised to see a supporting actor nomination for him come Oscar time. Another thing i enjoyed immensly was the script by writer and director Ava DuVerney. Ava has done a couple of films before this one. Sadly, nothing i have ever seen, but i like the directional inspirations that she added to such an inspirational story. The camera angles are very close and in your face to make you feel like you are walking next to King supporters, or even standing against them in their faces. There were a couple scenes in the film that added slow motion touches to the disgusting violent scenes shown in the film, and i thought it was hit and miss. The motion does get a little repetitive after the fourth or fifth time this happens, but i see the point. DuVerney is subtely letting the viewer soak in the wrong the same way Steve McQueen did with 2013’s “12 Years a Slave”. The violence is shocking, but is never anything that even the youngest viewer couldn’t witness. I think it takes more talent to shoot violence effectively without the gore, and make it leave an impression on the viewer. It’s safe to say that DuVerney accomplishes this feat without doing too much harm to the pacing of the film. Her lighting touches are also very effective in a story like this. Most of the film is done at night with a lot of darkness and shadows around our protagonists. Shadows usually signify something being hidden in films, and you never know when King’s opposers could strike in such a scary setting. It’s nice to see a script that doesn’t treat the viewer like an idiot. We already know who King is, so we don’t need his whole life story. This film is about his biggest cause and effect. It’s nice to see a film capture the psychological reasonings for some of the decisions King made that even his biggest of supporters sometimes didn’t understand. The private moments with his wife are there, and it’s in those intimacies that we learn more about King than we ever could in protest. “Selma” was a film that is powerful and inspiring in it’s message. It’s amazing to look at a film’s whose setting was over 50 years ago, and to see just how little has changed. It’s a film that everyone should see, even if it’s only for it’s historical significance. I definitely recommend it to everyone, and i think this is one that is worthy of it’s Oscar contention.