Director: Ava DuVernay
Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth
My Rating: Loved It!
Selma is a powerful and painful reminder of how far America has come and how far America still has to go. Selma tells the horrifying and victorious true story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leading the civil rights marches in Selma, Alabama.
All around Selma is a masterfully made movie, from the sobering opening scene of the infamous church bombing to the uplifting final scene of Dr. King giving his speech in Montgomery, Alabama following the successful march. The performances are spot on, but what really stood out to me was how well done the moments of brutality were realized. During some of the more intense and brutal moments, there are some beautifully devastating shots, including interesting facial close ups and heart wrenching slow motion sequences. These were some of the most powerful and visceral moments of any movie I've seen in the past year.
The movie captures this particular incident's complexity very well, showing the (very bigoted) politics at a local, state, and national level throughout. Another refreshing part of Selma is that it doesn't shy away from painting a full picture of Martin Luther King Jr. He's a flawed man in this movie, just like every single human being who has ever lived. Selma may be U.S. history 101, but everyone should see this regardless of prior knowledge of the historical event or not.