Selma is an Ava Du Vernay film. I watched it on 4th June 5, 2016, and found it a compelling and commanding film about Martin Luther King and his role during the civil rights movements in the eve of 1965. He led Selma residents to march from Selma to Montgomery capital agitating for black suffrage rights. In the 60’s, nearly all Southern states deliberately proscribed African Americans against registering as voters, becoming jurists or working in the civil service. It was a de facto supremacist confederation works against minority groups. Martin Luther and other abolitionists opted to use public confrontation and marched from Selma to Montgomery agitating for the right to vote. At Edmund Pettus Bridge, black protesters were confronted by the police where violence ensued. In the film, Du Vernay depicts the confrontation as military engagement sparring unarmed protesters and armed police officers. Nevertheless, Selma became the last battlefield regarding the American civil war. The healing of African Americans through a socio-cultural and linguistic integration brings a conduit between Selma and medical anthropology.
David Oyelowo, who plays the king, is a fascinating character, transcending himself as a brilliant, intuitive and enigmatic leader before the eyes of the public. He is sonorous and calm in a way that cultivates defense against all mannerism of racial slurs. He delivers his speeches with the same dexterity, personal energies and identity as Martin Luther. The character’s greatest moment is the depiction of Martin Luther’s appearance during second picketing- after public confrontations and chaos had ensued during the first protest. Oyelowo is immersed in a magnanimous crowd of well-wishers including whites. Despite the police, disrupting the public rally, Oyelowo displays a character of Zen mastery and restraint of erupting violence. He enigmatically protected his moral authority and acted extraordinarily.
Elsewhere, Oleyowo acting as King comforts a grieving parent of Jimmie Lee Jackson, who had been killed during the protests. It is a global health issue that police officers act brutally and end up killing or injuring protesters. Jimmy was chased, cornered behind Selma church and shot dead by armed police officers. It’s a scene that shows King as compassionate, charismatic and a man who commanded respect from fellow compatriots, despite his infidelity with a number of women.
In conclusion, Selma is an enthralling film within the context of civil rights movements. It tells the role that Martin Luther played during the emancipation period and fight for black voting rights. The black voting rights were well enshrined in the constitution, but practically construed by white supremacists.
Reference
Selma. Dir. Ava Du Vernay. Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christian Colson, December 25, 2014. Selma. Carlson Publishing Company, 25 Dec. 2014. Web. 4 June 2016.
