Director Ava DuVernay takes us back to 1965 in look, feel, and most importantly, attitude. There’s a host of historical names presented as characters in the movie. Names like Lyndon Johnson, J Edgar Hoover, George Wallace, John Lewis, Hosea Williams, Malcolm X, Jim Clark – for good and bad they all represent a slice of history that we get on full display. The story itself breaks down the chaotic lawlessness of the Deep South at a time where open racism still seers, and wounds to the Confederacy still ripe with blood. Laws have been passed allowing blacks (and specifically black women) the right to vote, but local leaders including Alabama Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth), and Klan member Al Lingo (Stephen Root) aren’t about to let that happen.
The primary focus is on Martin Luther King, played superbly by David Oyelowo, who bears a striking resemblance to the real life man. Oyelowo brings us a great depiction of King, from his riveting speeches to the peaceful way of protest he institutes, much to the chagrin of others in the movement. The film does a great job of depicting Martin Luther King as a regular human being. A man who is flawed and not godlike, and it makes us feel the realism in the man, and the film is better off for it. In a bit of foreshadowing, King at one point predicts his own death, and it lets the viewer see just how dire the struggles he is facing are. As he says to his wife “Our lives are not fully lived if we’re not willing to die for those we love, for what we believe.”
Oyelowo aside, the rest of the cast is ensemble, with the aforementioned being joined by big names like Cuba Gooding Jr, Giovanni Ribisi, and Martin Sheen. Carmen Ejogo does a touching job in the role of Coretta Scott, King’s faithful and devoted wife. A great early scene depicts Civil Rights activist Annie Lee Cooper (Oprah Winfrey), trying to exercise her right to vote for the first time, only to be denied in a (pardon the language) bullshit way. Despite King being an Oval Office guest of LBJ (Tom Wilkinson) much of the story is revealed through surveillance of King at the command of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Dylan Baker).
We won’t get political here, but Dr. King was wise enough to know the importance of voting, and his reasons are thoroughly hashed out within the confines of this picture. Protest on city streets or social media platforms is fine, but voting is the only real way to enact change. “Selma” is a great movie for history buffs (and those that claim they love history), and despite being slow at times, is a film everyone should make the effort to watch.
