This new biopic about Martin Luther King, Jr. is an powerful, important film that reflects on the current situation, and would certainly be on my Top 10 List had I been able to see it on the date of its premier. It demands to be seen.
In Selma, the civil rights leader is played by David Oyelowo. This film is about King's experiences in Selma, as well as concurrent events in Washington. It's also about the situation for African-Americans at the time, and the fight to rise past that situation and put an end to a system that perpetuated oppression. Taken in a contemporaneous context, this is merely a stage, as parts of that oppressive system are still standing. This results in Selma being a stirring account of what came before, reliving what is but a small piece of the struggle that the black community is still facing today.
But let's back up a bit. A core part of Selma's success is the central performance by Oyelowo, who brilliantly portrays King both in his fervour and his fatigue. In the quieter parts of the film, personal moments where King bears the strain of the struggle so plainly, Oyelowo gives King the nuance that such a tremendous man deserves. It's these parts that give the film its humanity, where they make King a person more than a symbol. That's not to say that this movie is without its symbols, however. There is a greater narrative told through the roles embodied by the people in this story, as all characters are contextualized in relation to the civil rights movement. This gives the film a greater sense of purpose and makes for something much more powerful.
Director Ava DuVernay does a great job of putting this story together. She uses brief snippets of scenes in order to create a feeling of events happening concurrently, which puts these scenes, separated by long distances, in greater context. One interesting idea is the occasional placement of text on the screen alongside an FBI logo, showing us the bureau's knowledge of events. This adds to the feeling of forces working against the civil rights movement, which is also reinforced with President Johnson's (Tom Wilkinson) description of the pressures that hold him back through much of the movie, and through the depiction of the local authority, representing the conservative mechanisms in the South that push back the voting rights of African-Americans.
Another great touch is the music, with a fantastic score by Jason Moran, a collection of jazz and gospel sounds that help contribute to giving the film a particular identity. These pieces are understated background sounds, little bits of accompaniment to the greater story at play. Conversations are carefully paced to reflect context, and this at times gives the actors range to flex their non-verbal acting skills. The strongest directorial feat, however, is the cinematography, a series of powerful shots that communicate the tangible emotion of each little point of the story. As Oyelowo displays moments of weariness from King, that emotion is captured by the camera, which conspires to fine-tune the atmosphere around the scene's centrepiece.
The same is true of the march scenes, where massive, increasingly diverse crowds gather to protest, and the tension between these crowds and the law enforcement can be felt through the lens of the camera. A great many people are involved in these marching groups, and they are shown through numerous wide shots. In there, you can see various different sorts of people, all united against the forces of oppression. As we see in the film, the events in Selma were a turning point of sorts, drawing supporters from around the nation.
A lot of Selma's strengths are drawn from the events, but what makes these work is a unified sense of purpose, passionate drive depicted in both the loud moments and the quiet moments, in the cinematography and the score, in each and every performance. This is a brilliant film, possessing excellent performances, beautiful cinematography, and an intelligent script, and a timely one as well: With recent events considered, this movie is an important reminder of what came before-and of how much road there still is to travel.
10/10
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