Selma Review
By David Kempler
MLK's Biopic Might Be King
As 2014 draws to a close, some of the best films are making their appearance in hopes of being fresh in the minds of those who vote for the awards that everyone in Hollywood craves.
Among the heavy-hitters premiering in late December, is Ava DuVernay's "Selma", which I assumed would be a biopic of Martin Luther King. It is a biopic, however, it zeroes in on King's attempted 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, the capital of Alabama.
By honing in on one particular event, rather than the whole of King's short-lived life, director DuVernay and writer Paul Webb ensure that we can concentrate on the enormity of everything that surrounded this relatively short time period, rather than being hurried through everything in King's life. The results are near perfect and about five minutes after it begins you will be harshly sucked in until it ends.
David Oyelowo portrays King and it's hard to imagine anyone doing a better job. He is King, like other great performers have become the people they have portrayed. However, DuVernay makes sure to let us know that this was no one-man show. King was in charge, but he had lots of help.
John Lewis (Stephan James) was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Jimmie Lee Jackson (Keith Stanfield) was murdered by an Alabama State Trooper after a protest march. There were countless others who played pivotal roles in the evolution of King's non-violent movement, and many of them are recognized here.
What makes "Selma" special is the way the audience is immersed into that time and place. DuVernay has constructed it so you are almost a part of, as if you were standing with them while they planned their various strategies on how to make the march from Selma to Montgomery succeed. A special nod also to Bradford Young, whose cinematography will certainly see him accumulating nominations for his work.
Some of the most remarkable scenes occur between King and President Lyndon Johnson (Tom Wilkinson). There is no way to know if they are accurate in content, but they work, and they paint an interesting interplay between the two very powerful men. Their struggle with each other and with their respective side issues is a pendulum. The upper hand constantly shifts from King to Johnson.
"Selma" might be the best film I saw in 2014. I still have to view a couple of the other contenders, but there is little doubt that "Selma" will be nominated for Best Picture, and it will not be much of a surprise if it ends up on top. There are virtually no holes at all. The story of King's march just might end up taking the crown.
