Selma Review

Selma is the story of Martin Luther King and his Civil Rights work in Selma culminating in a 1965 march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital Montgomery.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, however discrimination against black Americans was still very much alive. With black American’s being systematically denied their now legal right to vote, the non violent movement organises a march which results in a huge clash with authorities and white locals on Edmund Pettus bridge. It’s a very violent resistance that finally exposes this racial hatred to the wider country via media coverage that results in a great support for King’s cause.

Tom Wilkinson plays President Lyndon B Johnson, a man who is willing to cooperate with King, but seemingly only at his own political convenience. This isn’t to say he is portrayed badly. I didn’t see him as the villain of the piece, more a man of power left spinning plates.  Plus there were other more obvious villains in the film like Alabama governor George Wallace excellently played by Tim Roth. Dirty tricks are used to try and destroy Kings any way possible including in his marital life. Coretta Scott King is played by Carmen Ejogo,  plays a controlled, intelligent and sometimes despairing wife. However she is never pitiful, and her strength resonates over her turmoil.

Martin Luther King is portrayed so perfectly by David Oyelowo, as a focused, determined character with the inevitable human flaws. He completely dominates the screen and gives a faultless performance. This film is clever to focus on one particular series of events, to allow the viewer to gain relationships with a few strong supporting characters such as Annie Lee Cooper (Oprah Winfrey).

This recent American history is shocking, and yet doesn’t seem so far away especially due to recent events shown in Ferguson. The racial turmoil of the USA has been documented heavily in the media and within other recent films such as 12 Years a Slave.

Highly emotive from the offset, this film is confronting, compelling and inspiring wrapped around a wonderful performance by David Oyelowo as the great man and campaigner Martin Luther King. Selma is out in NZ Cinemas now.

Reviewed by Ingrid Grenar
4.5 stars4.5 stars

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