The man behind the legend

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2015)

Selma is about as powerful a movie as you're ever going to get about the extraordinary life of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. . In a time in which racial discrimination is still an important issue, this chronicle of events regarding King's fight for voting equalities in Alabama, presents us with a vision of how the tension between the two sides was even more intense during a period of controversy and change. The movie's goals are to give you this retelling of the struggle and hopefully connect with the audience, while also honoring the heroes behind the progress that was achieved.
The plot revolves around MLK's attempts to grant his fellow people the right to be registered voters in their town of Selma. It isn't without resistance that this movement will be met, and from then on the movie lays out the advancements and regressions that ultimately led to the achievement of the objective that was set. As our protagonist we have British actor David Oyelowo who proves he is more than capable of portraying this iconic figure. When it comes down to it, the character is without a doubt brilliantly interpreted by Oyelowo and throughout the film, one feels that the end result of the performance is a signature portrayal by the actor who owns the character from the moment the camera is on, and in return the character lives through the actor. All in all a mixture of characteristics that combine to give an extraordinary rendition of an extraordinary human being.
The movie comes together quite nicely and aspects such as the direction from Ava DuVernay and the competent script are all adequate for each other, offering a rich cinematic experience. I really hope Selma has a healthy staying power among liberating movies such as Glory, 12 Years A Slave, etc. It truly is deserving.
Rating: 8,5/10