Director: Ava DuVernay
Year Released: 2014
Rating: 2.0
Austere depiction of the events leading up to the March from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo), who has to deal with racially-motivated attacks, his wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) being harassed, his being followed by the FBI and arguing with President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) over (proper) voting rights for African-Americans. While a landmark moment in U.S. history, I'm afraid this still falls into the Button-Pushing/Liberal Guilt baiting category of race-themed movies (12 Years a Slave being an even more extreme depiction back in 2013) where the intended audience is encouraged to hiss at the ignorance of LBJ and Gov. Wallace (Tim Roth, comically weasel-ish), cringe at the police beatings and killings (eerily linking this to the events in Ferguson, MO) and applaud one's self for thinking "I would have marched too!" ... yet the people who should see this, ironically, will most certainly not. Though more of a streamlined biopic than a work of art (also see: The Imitation Game ... about a different form of persecution), it should be recognized for its fine performances (as opposed to groundbreaking political statements): Oyelowo as King and particularly Ejogo as his dutiful wife - who doesn't get a lot of screen-time but in a few precious scenes makes a strong impression - carry this forward with conviction.
