Film Review -- Selma

Directed by Ava DuVernay, the film stars David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, and Tim Roth. It is centered on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s fight to secure voting rights for African-Americans in the South by organizing a historic march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, the state capital. The film also examines MLK's sometimes strained relationship with his wife, Coretta Scott King (Ejogo), President Lyndon B. Johnson's (Wilkinson) concerns about politically i ntervening in the voting rights matter, and Alabama Governor George Wallace's (Tim Roth) often violent resistance to the activists' efforts. The film, while initially touted as the one to beat for Best Picture at this year's Oscars, eventually fell somewhat from grace and only managed to muster two nominations, for Best Song and Best Picture. It's really shocking how hard and fast Selma fell, and I can't quite understand why. One possible explanation was the controversy generated around what some felt to be an inaccurate portrayal of LBJ (they maintain that the President was in fact very open and more willing to be involved in civil rights legislation than the film depicts), but it's hard to believe that that alone could have caused such across-the-table snubs. Is it inherent racism still present in the Academy, whose voters are overwhelmingly male, old, and white? Maybe. No actor in the four acting races is anything other than Caucasian for only the second time in nearly two decades. That's not to say that the Academy should nominate ethnic actors solely for the purpose of diversity, but in this case, a very worthy contender was ignored: I was blown away by David Oyelowo's outstanding performance as the late Reverend. He was so good I forgot he was English (by the way, its curious that these four main actors, playing Americans, were all British!) and so, so moving. If he were in the Best Actor race, I'd even be tempted to tip his as the best performance among a very strong field this year. But he's not in the race. At all. It's shameful and disappointing, surely one of the biggest Oscar snubs in recent memory. DuVernay should have been recognized for her directing as well. It was masterful but subtle, letting the subject matter be the main focus. She's also a pioneer, paving the way for other African-American female directors (heck, even just female directors) to prove once and for all that they are just as capable of directing thoughtful, well-crafted films, and she absolutely should have been recognized for her ground-breaking work. While many criticized Selma fort taking too many creative liberties at the expense of historical accuracy, I nevertheless found it to be a very compelling and respectful account of this particular chapter in MLK's storied crusade. It was also felt incredibly relevant half a century removed from those events in light of the recent racial conflicts in the U.S. This is a film that, with a crucial boost from the Academy, could have helped bring awareness to a very real problem still plaguing the country, but instead was inexplicably denied recognition, while a film about - what else? - American involvement in the Middle East got six nominations. I am ashamed for the Academy, but only hope that the film continues to work toward the higher purpose of continuing the important dialogue about race relations in the U.S.

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: A