Selma (2014)

Nominee

When it comes to Selma I find two of my philosophies to be relevant. The first: There are certain historical atrocities we as a cultural collective can never truly atone for, but we must try to engage these subjects by any means possible. Because to let these events fade away for the sake of comfort would be an even graver transgression. However, I must confess, I also have a rather large amount of skepticism towards the 'biopic' format. My main issue steams from the fact that the importance is innately built into the individual's life story and the films can very quickly become overt in their message and exude a sort self-righteous aloofness. So the main question: Would Selma be able to overcome the biopic aspect and give homage to a greater cultural necessity for dialogue? I can now say yes it can.

With the rise of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in light of the lose of life in Ferguson, and New York City it was the perfect time to be reminded that these events did not happen in a vacuum. Our present is informed by a long complicated history and we need to know the past if we hope to make any progress with our future especially when grappling with the topic of race. Selma tells the story of the 1965 marches that took place in Alabama to completely implement the African American right to vote. I think it was a prudent choice to focus on this portion of the Civil Rights movement. These marches took place after Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, at a time when the south had been desegregated on paper but not in practice. This shows that the fight for social justice is never truly over. 

As far as the film's approach to Martin Luther King, Jr. himself it did an admirable job of telling the story of the man, not just the icon. This King is plagued by uncertainty at times, and the strain his infidelity places on his family life is not hidden away, but instead depicted to emphasis King's humanity. David Oyelowo as King and Carmen Ejogo as Coretta beautifully portray this couple's journey. If one of them falters the other always seemingly finds the strength to raise up their partner, while the rest of this sprawling cast, featuring the talents of Oprah and Cuba Gooding, Jr, enact pure empathy in the viewers. 

The viewership's sense of responsibility to attend to this story also comes from the honesty the camera finds amongst the violence. Ava DuVernay is relentless in placing the camera in the mist of these heartbreaking scenes of police brutality, and by doing so we see not the nameless mob but individual faces with stories of their own. It is because we witness this immeasurable pain with them that their final arrival at Montgomery is all the more triumphant. 

Overall: This film was carefully crafted with truth and a sense of importance, while still placing trust in the intelligence of the audience. It also came at the right time, for it is time for us to once again be dissatisfied with the status quo. Let us revisit King's vision of possibility and work for a better version of equality because not only can we be better, we must be. In memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. : Happy Watching.