Review of Selma (2014) by Aaron C — 24 Feb 2015

This movie, Selma, was a very moving film that depicted the struggles of the african americans in Selma, Alabama. It's actors made the film a reality for the audience through the real events that occurred. I enjoyed this film for many reasons that I will explain to you in the following paragraphs.

The film was set in the mid 20th century in the south, where blacks were being persecuted because of their color. I was fascinated by the events that unfolded in Selma. In Selma, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was convinced that they needed to stage an epic march from Selma to Montgomery to show that peaceful protests were the only way. In the middle of the picture, their was a small protest and the police killed a young man by the name of Jimmy Lee Jackson. He was beaten and then shot in the abdomen trying to protect his father from the police in the town. At the end, they made their final march from Selma, with white and black people hand in hand, to Montgomery.

Actor's can be hard to come by for a motion picture, such as, this one. The actor, David Oyelowo, played Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the film. This man sounded and gave the persona of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be like in my opinion. His speeches changed the environment in the theatre. The actor's in this film made me become so attached to it at the beginning, that I cried when they cried, and smiled when they smiled. David Oyelowo also developed the character of Dr. Martin Luther King so well that he included the part in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life where he didn't care if his life was going to be lost in this time of hardships, which made his wife very frustrated.

The final part of this movie that I would like to talk about, is how real it made me feel as I sat there motionless in my chair. One of the most emotional parts in this movie, was when Jimmy Lee Jackson's grandfather was starring at Martin Luther King Jr. in the Autopsy room, and says, "When will this end. This fighting, this feuding. When Dr. King?" Martin Luther King Jr. just stands there, and starts to weep. This was taking a great toll on Martin luther King Jr. and he finally sees what is coming from this protesting.

As an overview, I would say that this film moved me and inspired me, as those proud white and black people walked across that bridge and all the way to Montgomery. I don't know what it was in the film that made me realize how much people will give to receive what they want. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy". I was shown in this film, that there are controversies in our world, but that we can still overcome with bravery, courage, and a will to do something about them.