Selma stars David Oyelowo as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, and is set smack in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement of the United States. In 1965, a group of peaceful African-American protesters set out to march 50 miles to the state capital to highlight the deep-seated denial of their voting rights. As they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were set-upon and brutally beaten by power hungry white (obvs) state troopers and rubbernecking rednecks. This march would be attempted twice more in the oncoming days, and it’s this pivotal time of activism that unfolds on screen. Here, DuVernay delivers a timely film about standing up for not just your own rights but those of others, that feels urgent, authentic and volatile.
★★★★★ “A passionate movie, commanding and compelling” — The Guardian
English
USA, France, UK