Selma Movie Review
by Sherry Wu
Selma (2014)
Ava DuVernay
Paramount Pictures
128 minutes
Admist the roaring Civil Rights Movement that would proceed to change the climate of the United States forever came a powerful event that encompassed great triumph, but engendered even greater sacrifice that would highlight stark social tensions right before the nation’s eyes. A stance against horrendous social injustices, the three Selma to Montgomery marches attempted and succeeded at catalyzing the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but more importantly paved the way for a bigger picture, a bigger goal: a nation in which true equality exists. A rather perplex, yet invigorating moment in history, these marches played a pivotal role in the strides for change and served to perpetuate an even greater sense of urgency in the people of the nation, white or black, to come together and realize the reality of a dire situation. Selma, a compelling historical drama film, depicts these events in a dynamic way and for the most part, does justice to the many successes and challenges encountered by leaders Martin Luther King, Jr., James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and John Lewis, and those who remained nameless but were nonetheless vital parts of the movement. Director Ava DuVernay wanted to realistically document the complicated days and months leading up to the signing of the Voting Rights Act, but also wanted to avoid doing a simple reenactment that would highlight only the greatest triumphs. As with any historical film, inaccuracies exists and DuVernay admits, Selma is “not a documentary, and I’m not a historian,
I’m a story-teller.” And in that light, Selma is a stunning and powerful depiction of this historic turning point and has garnered great critical acclaim.
Almost 50 years after the Selma to Montgomery marches, Ava DuVernay created this film to be didactic, yet in a sense, personal. She claims that finding an emotional balance that pushed this story forward was difficult, but was eventually accomplished quite well. Take for example, the scene surrounding the 1963 bombing of the Birmingham church, which focuses more on reverence for the girls than on the extent of the blast or the amount of violence. Instead of shedding the limelight on the destruction and the hurt, DuVernay significantly focuses on the portrayal of the girls as ordinary children who had ordinary conversation about the innocent topic of hair, a portrayal that pulls at the heart strings in a different way and encourages self reflection. The voices of the girls provide a sort of connection between them and the audience. The film is a drama, and thus tries to make the audience feel something. Fast-forward about an hour into the movie and the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson is brought to light, a death that inspired one of Martin Luther King’s most powerful speeches. Although Jackson actually died a week later in a hospital, in the film, Jackson dies in the arms of his mother during a hostile and brutal attack by the police in which he is shot at close range while attempting to protect his grandfather and his mother. The scene is heart-wrenching and despite the truth behind the attack, it is made to be so. What if those girls were your daughters? What if this was your son? Action makes for a captivating movie and tragedies are sometimes exaggerated to make the audience feel even more, contemplate and reflect.