"Selma" with David Oyelowo : our review

October 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. A few days later, segregationist are attacking persist. The right to vote is not guaranteed for black communities in the southern states and particularly in Selma, Alabama. Martin Luther King was a major figure in American history. He was a pastor and a nonviolent activist for blacks civil rights. His "I have a dream" speech in Washington in 1963 became famous all around the world. Yet this is the first time that his story is adapted to the cinema, or at least one of those fights. This is the one that takes place in Selma, a city of Alabama, a southern state still under the influence of the Confederate and therefore, deeply racist.

Ava DuVernay making a feature movie about a historical battle. A fight that will be in her heart forever. The Afro-American director lived in Alabama not so far from Selma. Her stepfather lived the historic march between Selma and Montgomery. And here Ava DuVernay reconstructs the events without falling into the classic cliché Biopic.

And besides more than Biopic, Selma is primarily a historical drama. The film does not reconstitute the life of Martin Luther King. Instead, the film evokes the struggle of Afro-Americans from Selma. The struggle of Afro-American from South of the United States. The battle of the entire black community.

Screenplay, Selma is intelligently written. Rich without disperse. The marches from Selma to Montgomery carry all feature. Although a large number of characters is developed, Ava DuVernay Masters history. Some criticize a biased film. While the bias of the director is visible and not hidden. But besides the vision of King, Young ... those of Lyndon Johnson or Governor George Wallace are also developed.

However, implementation is not significant and rather conventional except for two three plans. The music unfortunately plays a role too maudlin. Only the dark and sober photography of Bradford Young gives a real breath to the film. The characters themselves are very well interpreted by a very convincing David Oyelowo and a just Tom Wilkinson. Tim Roth is excellent in the few sequences where he appears on the screen.

The Quality of Selma lies mainly in its scenario. A scenario that directly reflects the recent events of Ferguson, and what remains to be done. Therein lies the strength of the film.

David Oyelowo is worthy of this historical figure, his performance is impressive. Martin Luther King was also known for his oratorical skills and David Oyelowo has transmitted the fervor that emanates from his speeches, yet powerful, opposite Tom Wilkinson in their verbal sparring. The confrontation is as much physical as psychological. The film transcribes well the political and social context, in an America where racism is pervasive and where white can kill blacks with impunity.

For her second film, Ava DuVernay did some proof of academicism, but manages to convey many emotions, through the various events that will unfold before our eyes. It perfectly cut her film, showing the struggle of Martin Luther King, like his privacy, without reading the shadows. She does not make him a hero, but a man with convictions, surrounded by other men, devoted to his cause. But the film does not forget the women, through the characters played by Lorraine Toussaint, Carmen Ejogo and Oprah Winfrey. The latter does not really being a good actress, but as she's a productor...

The narrative is punctuated by registering notifications on the screen. It is because of the FBI, monitoring every move of Martin Luther King, while putting on listening and trying to destabilize him through his wife. An idea to even better understand the state of mind of this man who looks tired and his wife, living in fear. He sacrifices himself for the good of the community, but not only. His fight is the whole people, he even have the support of Malcolm X, who treated him Uncle Tom before.

Violence is omnipresent, through the eyes of the police who did not hesitate to play with their batons, on both men and women.

The excellence of its interpretation remains its greatest asset and to discover the actors, too often confined to secondary roles. The film has neither the power nor the success of Spike Lee's Malcolm X, but it is a good movie, which reveals a significant moment in American history.

What is good in Selma, is that this is not a conventional biopic on the life of one of the most famous activists of the twentieth century but the story of the events leading up to the march from Selma in 1965 . Fifty years later, the news reminds us constantly that the duty of memory is useful that the discrimination abound in our society every day and therefore the fight of MLK is - alas - still not won.

What is worse, however, is the treatment chosen by Ava DuVernay. Too smooth, too conventional, too long, this film comes after others who had already done the job as The Butler or Mandela. The only scene that really shook me out of my reverie and is - of course - the one where peaceful marchers are beaten by the local police, harangued by a hateful mob of racist whites. Other than that, it is flat!

Where it is more problematic is the management of content and form by the director, and it is a recurring problem in all US demagogic films, the portrayal of violence on historical background. How a movie which is pretending - even shouting - to be serious can aesthetize and embellish with a kind of elegance a violence that was real, which was damaging, which traumatized people, when his ambition is to expose, highlight a historical problem of something that is still here with us everyday? It's voyeurism, perversion, and idiocy. In the final scene, where the filmmaker evokes the fate of all the characters, highlighting well the misfortunes that happen to Governor George Wallace who refused to help end segregation. Objective of this passage : to applaud the viewer, give them a kind of catharsis to vent their hatred on that ugly obnoxious politician, make them want to applaud. When a film is given a formal look, historical, political resonance, we do not allow this filth that can exalt the cries of hatred of the average viewer. Too bad.

Selma Oscar-nominated in the category for best film ..

But Selma really deserves it? Especially with forgotten like Gone Girl, Nightcall ...

It's a good movie, it treats very good the subject of the event in Selma and a good treatment on Luther King and on the others characters from the film.

Moreover, the film is quite moving even very touching ..

But the staging is too academic, with some nice shots and close-ups on Luther King, which show EVERY features and expressions of the character.

But then to be nominated, I do not think so. Besides the film lacks pace.

As against the Oscar for best song is well earned.

The rest is good too, the soundtrack is very good and the entire cast is wonderful ** ** with very beautiful interpretations, especially from David Oyelowo.

In short, good film but nothing more. Winning an Oscar for best film remained a dream.

I am wondering about this since this afternoon, and if the lack of nominations for "Selma" at the Oscar was not due to a variety of problems but rather because of an artistic quality problem?

"Selma" is not bad, far from it. It is a necessary film, especially at this time, and very informative about the actions of Martin Luther King, and the context of that time. It is an exciting story as another film, nominated this year, and suffering the same problems as "Selma": "Imitation Game".

As the movie of Morten Tyldum, "Selma" will be excited by what it says and its actors but then we are left with the eternal magnet for win Oscars: A flat staging, an omni-present music which is dictating us what emotion to feel, and a film based on the performance of actors. This has been very effective in many films, after all, a film is not inherently bad if its academic, take the "Lincoln" from Spielberg for example, but in these two films, we feel this cinematic artificiality that is detached from the feature film and we get bored.

Does "Selma" deserved to be rewarded? No, certainly not. Face significant films, artistically speaking, as "Birdman" or "Boyhood", "Selma" was not the weight. However, it deserves to be seen for those who are still unaware of what happened at that time. Too academic, certainly, but necessary.

For the rest you have to trust me...

May the odds be ever in your favor...

You know you love me..

XOXO

Ness