Starting as civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is
being awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, and ending with a small victory on
the way to attempting to secure African American equality, Selma examines only a very short
period in the life of a legend. King’s non-violent activism has
already been established before the film begins and his assassination at the age of 39
is merely a footnote. Selma, as its title suggests, is the story of just one of many
struggles in King’s life. When it becomes clear that African Americans are not
being allowed to vote in many Southern states (despite this being against the law), King and his colleagues head to
Selma, Alabama, a place where ‘whites only’ signs are still visible, and
organises a march from Selma to Montgomery to ensure every black person is
allowed to vote without being refused or intimidated.
Hounded by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, hindered by
President Johnson, and attacked by outraged white people and Southern law
enforcement, King must overcome divisions within his own movement, and outright
racism from many locals in order to succeed.
Selma is not a traditional biopic, in that most of King’s
life is left out of the film. Don’t expect to learn much about why King
developed his strict code of non-violent protest or what achievements led him
to winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Selma focuses in on one moment in his life
and is all the better for it. There are hints and mentions of what came before
and what will come after, but this is the story of Selma and the people who put
their lives at risk to gain the right to vote. Most notably, Selma enacts the night of the death of one
activist on the streets of Selma in tragically true detail, where Jimmie Lee Jackson was
unarmed and shot by police.
The timing of Selma, and its snub in the Academy Awards acting categories, couldn’t be more pertinent.
This is a film that many might want to ignore. The police brutality, the fear
of African Americans (particularly from those in power and law enforcement) and the desire to
protest their own treatment all feels ripped from recent headlines. For all
King’s sacrifices, victories and righteousness, America still has a lot of work
to do in terms of race relations and Selma shines a light on this by looking
into its recent past.
The decision to concentrate on this pivotal moment is smart;
with King’s life having too much to fit into a single film. It touches on the
troubled relationship with his wife and Malcolm X briefly pops up for a single
scene, but mostly it deals with King, his colleagues and the ordinary people of
Selma. The fantastic Brits in the cast - David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom
Wilkinson and Tim Roth - stand out in this none more American tale but as with
so many true life stories, it is the moments where we see real footage that
really hit the hardest.
Despite King's speeches having to be rewritten for the film due to
rights issues, Oyelowo captures the essence of the man beautifully. With so much left of King’s life to cover, we can only hope
that director Ava DuVernay, writer Paul Webb and star David Oyelowo are given
another opportunity to shine a spotlight on this great leader in the future.
Watch the trailer:
Reviews for other Best Picture Nominees 2015:
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