The Fifty Four Mile Journey

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2015)

This film is highly recommended.
Selma is a great film. It centers on that fateful symbolic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, back in 1965, and tells the back-story of its coming to be. We follow Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's dream of equal rights for all, amid the sacrifices, bloodshed, and death to many of those heroic protesters.
Selma is a history lesson, but one told with clarity and compassion. (There have been some complains about historical accuracy, objections to President Johnson's hesitant involvement in bringing about the Voting Act of 1965 to end racism. This argument seem to be invalid as the film shows both Johnson and King being politicians foremost, both leaders a product of their times, caught in the quagmire of hatred and conformity. The film never pretends to be a documentary; it is a docudrama, a powerful one, with archival footage and factual documentation that uphold the times accurately.)
Ava DuVernay directs the film with an assured hand and an artistic vision that keeps the film riveting and emotionally grounded. There are some moments where the film gets caught up in the sanctimonious speeches and too much moralizing, but the poetic words in Paul Webb's literate screenplay make the film epic in scope and the director's visual images send home King's compelling message. DuVernay builds tension very efficiently, particularly in the clash between protesters and police. There are scenes of sudden violence that are never gratuitous (a bombing of a church, beating of innocent demonstrators, etc.) and are handled with poignancy and humanity.
Making the film resonant is the central performance by British actor David Oyelowo as the pastor King. He downplays the role beautifully, showing King as a flawed but passionate person, a common man thrust into the spotlight as a national crusader for civil rights. Oyellowo captures King's spirited line delivery as a persuasive orator and has many fine subtle moments as a caring husband. Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King give ample support, showing her characters loyalty and inner strength. Their moments together bring about the personal story of this married couples' dependence on each other. The film is so well cast in most of the supporting roles, with special mentions going to Corey Reynolds, Stephan James, Tim Roth, Alessandro Nivola, and especially Tom Wilkinson as a foul-mouthed and savvy L.B.J.
Selma takes its audience on the long harrowing journey for equality with such reverence and restraint. There are a few minor missteps along the way as the film does lose some of its its footing in reality when it uses famous actors like Oprah Winfrey, Martin Sheen and Dylan Baker, all impersonating real life figures, rather than using lesser known thespians for those roles, or when the film tries to connect the non-violent actions of Dr. King and his followers with the recent protests that led to escalating violence (as in the closing scenes with the song, Glory, mentions of the recent Ferguson unrest.) That said, Selma is a glorious undertaking that documents a historic time when a nation finally looked at the horror perpetrated on a minority and finally found its soul. GRADE: A-
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