Masters Dissertation Research: Selma (2015)

Selma (2015) tells the story of the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, led by Martin Luther King, James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and John Lewis. This movie was directed by one of the women I look up to most, Ava DuVernay, and was written by Paul Webb.

Firstly, the acting is incredible. David Oyelowo plays role of Dr. King and can be seen, from the very first moment he speaks, to have learnt to mimic King's voice perfectly. And he is not the only incredible actor in the cast. Tom Wilkinson plays President Lyndon B. Johnson; American rapper and actor Common plays James Bevel; and the rest of the cast is built up with other famous faces, such as Tim Roth, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, Tessa Thompson.

The movie begins with a powerful scene showing the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, in Birmingham, Alambama. This sets the tone of the movie incredibly. We, as an audience, know that this is going to be a serious film with an important message.

Personally, I loved this movie. It truly was a moving and powerful watch and I enjoyed watching it. However, I worry that, without some sort of understanding of the civil rights movement, it could be somewhat confusing. But either way, it was beautiful and I loved it.

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