Selma is a chronicle of Martin Luther King´s epic campaign to secure equal rights by marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
After seeking the help of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and being refused, King and civil rights leaders led marches to the Capitol building in Montgomery. The first march, known as ‘Bloody Sunday’, took marchers into the brutal hands of the police. Despite the danger, marchers returned to the bridge two days later in peaceful response.
In the weeks that followed, the marchers reached Montgomery where King gave his infamous “How Long, Not Long” speech that provoked Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a major step in the quest for race equality.
To date, not many films have focused on Luther King´s plight but this one is well worth watching as it focuses in on such a short space of his career that his cause and political obstacles are explored fully.
Interstellar actor David Oyelow plays King with extreme passion and his gripping portrayal of the civil rights leader makes this film even more intense.
ROCKS RATING: *****
