A very powerful drama showing Martin Luther King Jr. fighting for equal rights to vote. With a campaign to march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama.
With being from the UK my America history isn’t the best, not something we focused on at school in History lessons. But through the power of film it is brilliant to learn about the struggles America have faced in the don’t so distance past. These events are from 1965 and that is really not that far gone. It’s scary the things that happened and brutal nature of everything.
It was truly inspiring to learn so much more about Martin Luther King. I thought David Oyelowo was fantastic in the role he made it so engaging to watch. Some of the scenes take a lot of time to build up but his performance throughout really is something else. The running time of 2 hours 10 minutes is on the long side but I didn’t think it actually felt that long which is a good way to praise the film even more as it just flew over.
Some of the scenes are difficult and awful to watch but essential as the brutal nature of the attacks and people dying really happened. I always think this type of film must be so difficult for the actors to be a part of and having to do those types of scenes beating someone up. It must just actually feel like a divide and edgy nature on set.
It is inspiring with the things Luther King says he really did have a way with words and speeches he could lead people and was so passionate about his cause. I just found myself totally into this film and engaged from the very start to the very end on the emotional journey. But the other people as well, you could tell who were the important ones and it was nice to see what they managed to achieve over the years.
I wanted to an advanced screening at Cineworld last night they decided to put it on a few weeks in advance with it being Martin Luther King day yesterday. Which I thought was such a good idea and nice touch to it all. I really would recommend seeing this one as it really is so powerful from start to finish. You will feel inspired by the end after what they had to endure to get the right to vote. Even though by law they were allowed, but different states done things their own way which is very much shown in this.
Well done to the filmmakers who really put together such a fantastic film. And to Martin Luther King who changed so many things for so many people!
