Review: ‘Selma’ provides a much more personal look at Dr. King’s work

Posted on January 16, 2015

By MARK VIOLA

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the famous and celebrated figures in 20th century American history. This coming Monday is a federal holiday in his honor. We all know about the marches and the speeches and the dreams, but do we really know that much about the man behind the legend? Not because it’s a secret. But because it is a story not often told.

The film “Selma,” directed by Ava DeVernary (“Middle of Nowhere”) sets out to tell that story with actor David Oyelowo (“Interstellar”) portraying Dr. King. This is a powerful film, showcasing one of his greatest accomplishments, but also showing that he was also just a man, which in many ways, makes his deeds all that more compelling.

Films that set out to tell the life story of someone often struggle with how to fit so much information into 120 minutes. Taking a different approach was “Lincoln,” which instead of trying to touch on every major event in the life of our 16th president, focused on about a month during his efforts to pass the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

And that is what “Selma” does, and does it extremely well. We don’t hear about Dr, King’s early days, or his tragic death. Instead, the film centers on a few weeks, during which he travels to Selma, Ala., to organize protests and marches in order to secure equal voting rights for African Americans in the south.

As with any film dealing with racism, “Selma” is often times hard to watch. It would be a lie to say racism is dead in this country, but seeing the systematic racism of the past does show that while the journey to Dr. King’s dream is not over, the country has come a long way.

The film is rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including violence, a suggestive moment, and brief strong language.

(This is a shortened version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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