10
PURE M Magazine
Selma
by Shane Hennessy
D
espite a relatively short life which ended in his
assassination at 39 years of age, there are too many
important events in the life of Martin Luther King for one
film to reasonably cover. To achieve this would be to take from
the exploration of the man himself which, as important as his
accomplishments were, is every bit as fascinating.
To put it simply, the Selma March though perhaps not the most
talked about of his demonstrations lends itself to drama and action
the best. Short of telling the story of Rev. Luther Kings grizzly
demise, that is.
Cynicism aside however, this film triumphs at just about
everything it sets out to do.
As with all films with such a historic and influential figure as
the main character, it’s only going to be as good as it’s central
performance. In this case, David Oyelowo is transcendent (a word
I swore I’d never use for acting) as Martin Luther King.
Everything from his charisma to his cadence is right on point
throughout the film, equally convincing when he’s delivering
those stirring and rousing speeches to his followers as he is
sharing sombre and uncertain moments with his wife.
The film opens with Luther King and his wife, Coretta (Carmen
Ejogo) getting ready surrounded by the opulence their
prominence has awarded them. All the while Luther King can’t
help but voice his guilt for those that are less fortunate than him.
But no sooner are we introduced to the man and his work, then
are we witness to the murder of four small girls by a controlled
explosion in a church. The imagery of these atrocities is dealt with
skillfully, never lingering too long to glorify but just long enough
to horrify.
From here it could easily have veered off into your regular
didactic race-relations fare, yet for a movie released at a time
when deadly racial tensions are still very much the topic of the
day in America, it’s measured and sanguine execution becomes
all the more timely.
Martin Luther King is painted as a man wise beyond his
generation, a privy manipulator of the media, rallying his troops
to areas where there was as much room for cameras and
journalists as there was for peaceful protest.
He was content to send his message to the masses though the
disgraceful actions of those against him. Even with headlines and
video footage being ever more far-reaching and ubiquitous today,
it’s difficult to envisage it being put to more effective use.
It even delves deeper into the fractious relationships he had with
people attempting to fight the same cause as him but through
different means, Malcolm X makes a brief (albeit very very
convincing) appearance. It also goes into the crude acts of slander
he had to endure as his influence began to permeate, that affected
his marriage. (Although it has to be said there was more truth in
these allegation than the film tries to let on).
That it’s directed by a relatively unknown only adds the movies
success, Ava DuVernay is rightly the first black female director
to be nominated for the Academy Award for best picture. Selma
will do well to win, but it’s relevance will remain long after films
like American Sniper become disregarded for they are.