John Legend said what needed to get said

Rating: 10/10 (14 June 2015)

Martin Luther King Jr's march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights was one of the seminal moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Ava DuVernay's "Selma" looks at the events that led to the march. David Oyelowo makes sure to bring to life King's strengths as well as his flaws, and it's a masterful performance.
The movie drew criticism for its depiction of Lyndon Johnson. In an interview on "Democracy Now!", DuVernay said "Look, this is my movie. It's not a documentary." It was one of the sad ironies of Johnson's presidency that as the Selma march happened - which he supported - he started sending US troops into North Vietnam, which eventually soured MLK's relation with him. A criticism that I have is that the movie underplays Coretta's role, depicting her as more of a wife than an activist. Otherwise it does a perfect job looking at the various people involved in the Civil Rights Movement. The footage included at the end adds a sense of realism.
When John Legend and Common (who plays James Bevel in the movie) accepted their Oscars for Best Original Song for "Glory", Legend noted that the US leads the world in incarceration. To be certain, the song mentions Ferguson. This shows that we have a long way to go in terms of justice, and there have even been retrogressions (such as the Supreme Court's invalidation of the Voting Rights Act). In short, Legend said exactly what needed to get said, as did Patricia Arquette (about the wage gap), Laura Poitras (about surveillance), Graham Moore (about suicide) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (about immigration).
A 50th anniversary march got held recently, retracing the original. The Obamas participated, as did original participant John Lewis (played by Stephan James in the movie). "Democracy Now!" covered the reenactment, and Amy Goodman's interviewees explained the significance of popular movements in the 21st century ("Glory" even played during one of the interludes). As the movie shows, justice is not an easy goal, but it is an attainable one. As one of the best movies of the year and of the decade, this is one that should be required in every history class. An absolute masterpiece.