Martin Luther King Jr. was a man, but Selma proves much more than that. Director Ava DuVernay paints a picture of the Civil Rights movement that humanizes not just Dr. King, but the entire fight for rights that had been denied to African Americans.
DuVernay and writer Paul Webb wisely chose to make their film about one of the key moments in King's career, rather than trying to make some overreaching biopic. In fact, the film begins with King uncomfortably accepting the Nobel Peace Prize of 1964, grappling with the idea that he is receiving a prize in Norway while the men and women back home continue to struggle. From that point on, DuVernay announces that this isn't a movie that just a string of events slapped together haphazardly.
When King, played with nuanced ease by British actor David Oyelowo, returns home, he hears of the struggle for the right to vote in Selma, Alabama. It's troubling, since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has already been passed, outlawing segregation. But King knows that this was never going to be the end of the overall struggle for equal rights. After visiting with an uncompromising President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), King heads to Selma himself, where he and his team take control of the situation. Eventually, King hatches the idea to march over 50 miles from Selma to the Alabama State House in Montgomery.
As with most stories with an ending the audience knows all too well, Selma is all about how DuVernay chose to tell a story that is so clearly dear to her heart. Of course, that can be dangerous in any filmmaker. How many passion projects haven't turned out as well as they should have? But DuVernay, making just her second film here, decided to tell this story with a light fist. She and cinematographer Bradford Young put the audience right in the action, documenting events from all angles. True, there is some use of slow motion that can get annoying – as if DuVernay doesn't trust the audience to realize how important the violence is – but for the most part, she lets events play out.
For DuVernay to successfully get beyond the gimmick of proving that King was not a saint, she had to get the right actor who could both command the screen and play the more quiet and emotional scenes. She could not have found a much better actor than Oyelowo. His delivery of King's speeches is stirring and powerful, even causing a member of the audience in the theater to break into applause. Hearing Oyelowo speak was like going to church, his booming voice carried from the screen as if he was there. You don't need 3D technology when you can act like that.
But this isn't just Oyelowo's film. Aside from Tom Wilkinson's terribly cartoonish performance as Johnson, he has a strong supporting cast at every turn. Andre Holland has some particularly good moments throughout as Andrew Young. Stephan Jones, who is about to play Jessie Owens in another movie, as John Lewis gets everything out of his touching scene in a car with King. Carmen Ejogo steals a scene right from Oyelowo as Coretta Scott King. Even Oprah Winfrey, who had the guts to not force DuVernay to give her a big part, has some touching moments.
It's a shame that DuVernay's careful handling of the development of the Montgomery march has been overshadowed by the historically inaccurate portrayal of Johnson. Every time Wilkinson lumbers around as Johnson, it's cringe worthy. Sure, the scene where he finally has the guts to stand up to Alabama Gov. George Wallace (Tim Roth), gives Wilkinson a chance to show off his skills. But the script's odd portrayal of Johnson makes the decision to finally push Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 feel really sudden.
Aside from that though, the first hour of Selma is beautifully done and carefully crafted. And overall, the film does succeed as brilliant entertainment. It's not meant to be a teaching tool. Selma was clearly made to with an intent to show how difficult it was to get one of the key moments in the Civil Rights movement going. King wasn't just a leader of a faceless group. These men and women had names. Selma is as much a tribute to them as it is to King.
image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com