Selma

Given recent events, Selma is a hard film to review without discussing politics.

As I don't necessarily see my movie review blog as the appropriate avenue to discuss my opinions on said recent events I'll just say this: I don't lean liberal or conservative on this particular issue. I lean in the way of logic, proof, and a judicial system that states we are innocent until proven guilty.

What I unquestionably despise however, is the Americans who have chosen to "act" on their first amendment by looting, rioting, and other acts of violence to supposedly get their point across.

This is why a film like Selma is so damn important at this time. It helps to remind people that Martin Luther King Jr. fought for something that was worthwhile and just, but he did it in such a way that echoed self-control, wisdom, and appropriate behavior under the laws of our nation. There are certainly those Americans that are making their voices heard appropriately based on the events in Ferguson and New York, and whether you disagree with them or not matters very little because they are going about it in a peaceful way.

This is the type of justice and equality that Dr. MLK was preaching for most of his life and, much like Gandhi, the lack of violence made it tough at times, yes, but ultimately far more effective towards achieving the goals he set out to accomplish.

Selma as a film does a strong job at capturing his stoic presence during a time and place that I admittedly (and a bit shamefully) really had no idea about until I saw the film.

MLK seeking guidance in a time of need

I never knew that MLK met with the President
on such a frequent basis.

I'll start with my three main, but ultimately small, issues with the film. First of all, Oprah Winfrey is in the film and honestly, the role is so small that it did nothing but distract me whenever she was on screen. I know that she probably wanted to be a part of this historic film, but the role was not written large enough to really justify her star power. Second, and this may come off a bit controversial, but for a large portion of the film, the "white man" is displayed as the total villain. Up until about 3/4ths of the way through the film there really isn't a single redeeming white character which I found a bit hard to believe given the time. Lastly, the film has a couple subplots that don't really feed into the bigger picture much and are left somewhat unresolved.

Selma is a film filled with strong performances all around and I couldn't find a single weak link in the entire film. David Oyelowo, who plays the iconic Dr. King, is mesmerizing to watch. He truly got into the role and embodies King in such a demanding way that its hard to look away, particularly when he is giving any sort of speech. It's truly impressive to watch and despite this being my first review of 2015, I'd be willing to bet it's one of the best performances of the year. Assisting Oyelowo in his talent is a fantastic script that is both sophisticated, but does a great job at portraying what was going on at the time.

On other levels, Selma continues to impress. The cinematography, while not the best ever, is still well done, especially when it needs to be. I also enjoyed the original score/soundtrack and the film's most pivotal scenes, usually focused around the violence that Civil Rights activists endured is well controlled. An odd thing to say, maybe, but there is no overly gruesome scene to affect the audience and the violence simply is what it is, which is sometimes the most effective way of getting the point across in a historical drama such as this one.

Standing up for equality

Selma is a film that is far more important than any "Rath's Review" score that I could give it. I'm here to be a movie critic and ultimately to give my thoughts on any film a numerical value. While the mere fact of being "important" doesn't necessarily make a good film in and of itself, it doesn't really matter in Selma's case because it is both a good and important film. My very minor issues shouldn't stop anyone from seeing it and truth be told, there are a lot of people, on both sides of the current discussion tables that need to be reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and what he stood for.

CONS:

• A few of the film's subplots don't add much overall and are left unresolved
• I'd argue that the film "villain-izes" white people too much for too long, although by the end of the film this is a bit of a mute point
• Oprah Winfrey is a bit distracting in a smaller role

PROS:

• Amazing performances from everyone
• David Oyelowo gets a special shout-out as his portrayal of Dr. King is outstanding and well crafted. I was very impressed during his speeches
• An excellent script
• The film does a strong job of capturing the era
• Solid filmmaking all around
• Strong original score/soundtrack
• Covers a pivotal time during the Civil Rights movement that I'm not sure too many audiences are super familiar with
• An important film for many to see given the events of the past few months

Rath's Review Score: 9/10