Selma (2014) [Movie Review]



Dir: Ava DuVernay
Starring: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson
Dur: 2 hrs 8 mins
Genre: Historical Drama
Rating: 7/10

Selma tells the story of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s efforts to acquire voting rights for Afro-Americans. The film has a lot of talk and little action, but that’s what most biographies are about. The story is inspiring in the broad sense but it squandered the opportunity to be so much more.

The opening scene is a bit confusing as we are shown Luther receiving the Noble prize, a bomb blast killing innocent kids and a presidential meeting. These events perhaps serve to summarize the important events preceding the ones documented in the movie. Luther’s wasn’t a very victorious story of grit, courage and fame. I’m glad the film showed him for what he really was: a man struggling to keep his ideas in accordance with the reality around him. Oyelowo is a treat and he puts up a good impression of what Luther must have been like. In terms of acting, the film doesn’t seem very challenging but the sets, make up and dialogues more than compensate for its inadequacies. The tension between Luther and President Johnson are brought are realistically. The film jumps from event to event leading up to the great march of victory from Selma to Montgomery. The narration is not organic but rather a carefully knit series of events in line with the main theme. Luther’s words are soul-stirring and even though we are so many years away from that time, one can still feel the excitement and inspiration he managed to churn in the hearts of the people. The final speech gave me goosebumps and really sat well as a fitting finale to the film.

Considering that it is a biography, the film may not provide the entertainment one may look for. Inspiration, though offered, is not served with finesse. The film remains true to history and for that deserves credit, however, the story could have been told with greater character and zest. 

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