Humanizes MLK

Rating: 10/10 (21 February 2015)

There have been many films that rightly glorify Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement, but Selma is the first movie to showcase the internal battles within the movement. Director Ava Duvernay places the focus on King's struggles — not just with the people against him but also with the people on his side. David Oyelowo plays a King who remained determined in his battles with President Lyndon Johnson, his right-hand man Andrew Young and Malcom X. In the penultimate moment of the Selma march, we find King not engaged in a fight against segregationists, but in a struggle to save his marriage. Selma humanizes King, which strengthens his legacy.