Selma

Composite Score: 85.33

Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Wilkinson, Giovanni Ribisi, André Holland, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Colman Domingo, Omar J. Dorsey, Tessa Thompson, Common, Lorraine Toussaint, Dylan Baker, Niecy Nash, Corey Reynolds, Wendell Pierce, Stephan James, Trai Byers, LaKeith Stanfield, Henry G. Sanders, Tim Roth, Stephen Root, and Jeremy Strong

Director: Ava DuVernay

Writer: Paul Webb

Genres: Biography, Drama, History, Civil Rights

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including violence, a suggestive moment, and brief strong language

Box Office: $67.78 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Selma is Ava DuVernay’s film about the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery organized by James Bevel and led by Martin Luther King, Jr., Hosea Williams, and John Lewis. The film focuses on King’s involvement, utilizing him as the protagonist and focal point, while also referencing the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, King’s reception of the Nobel Peace Prize, J. Edgar Hoover’s and the FBI’s COINTELPRO campaign against King, and King’s interactions with President Lyndon B. Johnson in pursuit of the passage of the Voting Rights Act. The film stars David Oyelowo as King, Wendell Pierce as Williams, Stephan James as Lewis, Common as Bevel, and Wilkinson as President Johnson. It also features performances from Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Oprah Winfrey as Annie Lee Cooper, Tessa Thompson as Diane Nash, and Tim Roth as Alabama’s Governor George Wallace. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Song (“Glory” by Common and John Legend), winning the Oscar for Best Original Song. Additionally, it has been celebrated for its attention to detail in its depiction of the marches and the violent retaliation against them, for DuVernay’s clear directorial vision, and for Oyelowo’s strong performance as Dr. King.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                While there are some historical inaccuracies to the story in Selma, I don’t necessarily think that they are a reason to avoid the film. I do think, though, that the film does feel at times like it’s trying to give you too much all at once. Yes, the central focus of the film is on the marches from Selma to Montgomery, but within that story, there are moments that feel more excessive than integral to the story. Where the inclusion of the stories of Annie Lee Cooper, Jimmie Lee Jackson, Cager Lee, James Reeb, and Viola Liuzzo flesh out the details of the march and ground it more deeply in humanity and the ongoing struggle for civil rights, the explorations of President Johnson’s political machinations and the inclusion of his conversation with J. Edgar Hoover and even, to a lesser extent, the cut aways to Governor Wallace and his mounting frustrations with the march come across as distracting from the film’s overall message. Overall, these are minor detractions because of how impactful the rest of the film is, but they almost feel too contrived to give the audience villains and obstacles to root against, rather than just letting them root for the protagonists. While I do think it’s important to name those who stood against progress and civil rights, I don’t know that we have to give them full scenes of their own with their reasonings spelled out.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                Even with its possibly less-than-necessary digressions into the political machinations of its “villains”, Selma offers one of the best examples in recent history of a director executing their vision for a film, and it’s a pretty major disappointment that DuVernay did not garner an Oscar nomination for her work here. Every scene feels painstakingly blocked and executed to achieve an emotional and historical end. On the one hand, every shot looks like it could have been the recreation of a historical photograph, gorgeously composed with actors and sets and costumes situated in exactly the right places. But DuVernay goes beyond just reaching for historical accuracy and seeks emotional resonance through just the scenes themselves. Yes, the performances are strong, as are the music cues both from the score and needle drops, but the drama and tragedy that she’s able to portray just in a few frames, dollies, and pans speaks to the power of the subject matter she’s working with and her knowledge of the medium in which she’s working. Her snubbing for Best Director in favor of both Morten Tyldum for The Imitation Game and Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher (a makeup in itself for his snub for Moneyball) looks stranger and stranger the further away we get from 2014. Add to the snub the fact that the film portrays a struggle that is still ongoing for guaranteed voting rights for minorities, and there’s no denying that this film might even be considered underrated.

                DuVernay is not the only person working at their best for what ultimately ended up being a snub, though. David Oyelowo gives one of the most true-to-life performances as Martin Luther King, Jr., that I’ve ever seen or heard, and he didn’t even get nominated for it. His cadence in matching the great orator’s speech patterns is only part of what makes the performance so memorable. He brings a level of humanity to this titanic historical figure through the little things that he does – laughing along with his fellow workers, crying with those in mourning, and acknowledging his own fears to those closest to him. It’s a well-written portrait of the civil rights leader that Oyelowo then elevates with his performance that excellently captures the humanity and heroism of the man. The fact that Eddie Redmayne won for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the same year that this performance didn’t even get nominated continues to baffle me (let’s not even get back into the snubbing of Jake Gyllenhaal for the same nomination that year). Bradley Cooper’s weakest performance in recent history and Benedict Cumberbatch’s “hey I liked that guy in that one show, so let’s nominate him for this decent British film” nominations both feel less deserving than Oyelowo’s King, but here we are.

                In a film driven by its director and lead actor, Selma gives its audience a moving look at the struggle for voting rights in the 1960s, as spearheaded by MLK, portrayed excellently by David Oyelowo, in a film that captures the exact essence of what director Ava DuVernay hoped to, earning it recognition as one of the Greatest Films of All Time. Its digressions into the political machinations of the racists behind the scenes don’t always fit with the rest of the film, but the overall impact of the film is unavoidable, and its message is one that still needs to be heard nearly ten years later. You can currently stream this film on Amazon Prime Video if that’s something you need to hear again.