One of the Most Powerful Films I've Seen This Year

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2015)

Selma (directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb) features Martin Luther King Jr. (played by David Oyelowo) leading a civil rights march in Selma because he is tired of African Americans being denied the right to vote. On top of this, he and his wife Coretta Scott King (played by Carmen Ejogo) are having marriage issues. All of these things combined results in an intense, emotional, and masterful film that stands as one of the most important biopics of the year and arguably ever made.
Must I talk about David Oyelowo's portrayal of Dr. King? For an actor who I'd never heard of until seeing him play a principal for 5 seconds in Interstellar, and for the guy who played the unmemorable Doctor in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, he gives the best performance of the year. David is not playing Dr. King, he IS Doctor King. He talks like him, acts like him, looks like him, sounds like him, has his haircut like him, etc. I felt like I was legitimately watching Dr. King on screen. Some of the scenes that are extremely emotionally intense, I'd always pay attention to David's expressions, and in every one of them he'd be at the top of his craft. Unfortunately, David's performance is so spectacular that moments he isn't on screen results in the film slowing down. In fact, I feel that if the performance of Dr. King wasn't as compelling as it was, I'd be giving this film a 7 or an 8. Without David carrying the film, it would simply be an above average civil rights movie, in my humble opinion.
Lets forget about the acting and story for a second and appreciate the technical aspects of this film. Ava DuVernay is not a director I'm familiar with, in fact I've seen none of her movies. But seeing this one, I feel compelled to check them out. This movie is wonderfully shot and directed. Some cinematography is absolutely stunning and the film does a great job at depicting the time period. When moments are intense, the camera is intense. When it's time for a rousing speech by the Doctor, the camera is rousing. It's perfectly directed for the most part, besides a few scenes where a character is killed or beaten and the camera goes slow-mo for a straight minute holding onto the slow motion shot. I get its meant to give the audience time to grieve and be shocked, but it would've been more effective if the scene went by quickly. Also, the soundtrack of the film ranges from inspirational to downright intense, and scenes with the soundtrack playing are just as emotional as scenes without it playing.
The writing in this film, especially the dialog between Dr. King and his wife, and Dr. King in some of his civil rights buddies, is excellent. I think the best however is the speeches and monologues given by Doctor King. With the writing being delivered passionately by David, some scenes had me completely engaged with chills up my spine. It's extraordinary.
I've seen a lot of reviews of this film critiquing the fact that it is not entirely "historically accurate." However, I must ask the same reviewers if they like Braveheart, and if the answer is yes, why don't they critique that film fore being historically inaccurate? Yes, the film may be inaccurate, but people have to realize that historical pics are only trying to convey the message of what was going on in the time period, they're not trying to recreate word for word what actually happened in that time period. Plus, some thematic elements need to be added. If I wanted to learn about the Civil Rights march in a short amount of time by watching something, I'd watch the history channel. This is meant to be a film depicting the rampant racism and violence that the African American people had to deal with, not a PBS special on Dr. King.
Overall, this is a film that I will be picking up on bluray. Featuring a masterful performance from David Oyelowo, and a strong supporting cast, in addition to the brilliant writing and direction, this is a must see biopic. However, I can't say it'd be amazing without the inclusion of David (and it shows with scenes that don't include him, which slows the film down as a result), which is why I have to give this film a 9. Go see it.