Enough Is Enough

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2015)

We still need these films. I have heard the arguments of "this was so long ago" or "racism is gone, we don't need to see this film". I will tell you as a white man that neither of those arguments are valid. These events were only 50 years ago. In fact some people who took part in these events are still alive. It baffles me that people don't think Selma is an important film. Selma is the most powerful film I have seen this year. I saw it by myself, and it took me places emotionally that I don't think I have been before in a theater.
First of all, major props to everyone involved in the making of this film. I know the Oscar nominations caused controversy on whether or not Selma should have been nominated for more awards, in particular, David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay. Out of all the performances I have seen this year Oyelowo is definitely in the top 5. He embodies everything we know about Martin Luther King Jr, and even gives a little bit of spin on it. That's the other thing I loved about this film, I cant tell you how many very famous actors took these small parts, so they could be a part of this incredibly important film.
I also liked that this wasn't necessarily just a Dr. King story. It told the story of the Selma march, and even quite a bit about some of the other important people involved in this famous event. Wilkinson played Johnson perfectly, as he was torn between changing the voting rights or not. But there were so many other incredible performances that could have been recognized. Even Oprah did a really nice job. But the film took it to another level once I saw the Selma march. Reading about such events in history books is one thing, but when you see what man is capable of in a graphic way was another thing completely. These people were just asking for their voting rights to be recognized and they were brutally beaten and murdered. The way DuVernay shot the film made it that much more devastating. Seeing shots of white men riding horses with guns and batons just wiping the bridge with the blood of these people was one of the most brutal things I have ever seen. I'm getting choked up just writing about it. I was literally shaking my head ready to yell at the screen when this happened.
I don't think I have been that impacted by a film in a long time. The fact that it was only half a century ago is unbelievable. Oyelowo gave us some extraordinary speeches and the supporting cast was impeccable. DuVernay perfectly directed this and gave us one of the best films of the year. It's true though, schools should be required to show this when they go over the civil rights unit. It's a story that I was aware of but not to the extent that occurs over the course of these brutal 2 hours. Let's make sure these events never happen again.
+Oyelowo's snubbed performance
+Entire supporting cast
+DuVernay's direction
+Devastating march
+Common & John Legend's 'Glory'
+Educational
9.6/10