Selma (2014) Spoiler-free Review
Sometimes a movie comes along and knocks you off your feet. It’s raw, it’s unapologetic, and it makes you want to throw your fist in the air and shout. Selma is this movie.
This film chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King’s campaign to ensure equal voting rights for black American citizens, via a peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. As you can imagine, racial tensions are at an all-time high; violence hovers close by, eerily, and hope shines like a soft light in the South.
We’ve seen a number of snubs in the awards season, leading up to this Sunday at The Oscars; the biggest one for me is that David Oyelowo did not get nominated for Best Actor. He eloquently captures the essence of Dr. Martin Luther King in this brilliant performance; relaying the human being that was Martin Luther King, behind the powerful leader who is strong, pensive and charismatic (traits one can pick up from watching speeches, footage and reading about the man in the history books).
Another thing that confuses me is that director Ava DuVernay was not nominated for Best Director either, as I feel she did an amazing job with the heroes and villains of this story. Her film has however been nominated for Best Picture, which is a relief. The competition in this category is really tough this year, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
You can catch the trailer for Selma below:
Rating: 8.5/10
You can find our Oscars 2015 main category predictions below:
The Oscars Rundown – Best Director/Picture
The Oscars Rundown – Visual Effects Awards
The Oscars Rundown – Acting Awards
The Oscars Rundown – Screenplay Awards
About the Author: Stephen is a filmmaker and critic, co-founder of BTG Lifestyle. Follow him on Twitter @thesnagel
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