This weekend “Selma,” a film centered on the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery led by Martin Luther King Jr. (played by David Oyelowo), finally opens nationwide, and you should be very excited indeed. This is one of the very best films of the year, a historical eye-opener that is also a profound character study and as much a reflection on race relations in 2015 as it is in 1965 (sadly). And if you needed another reason to get excited about seeing “Selma,” well why don’t you check out our exclusive featurette?
Time and time again in the two-minute montage, which features footage from the film as well as behind-the-scenes interviews with cast members and creative principles (including the film’s dazzling director, Ava DuVernay), the point is reiterated that “Selma” isn’t a movie about Martin Luther King Jr. the legendary civil rights leader, it’s about Martin Luther King, Jr. the man. And it’s true — the movie is beautiful and nuanced and will rip your heart out, especially given the recent racial unrest in our country.
But this makes the film seem oppressively bleak and heavy; it’s not. “This is the story we’ve never seen before,” Oyelowo says in the featurette. And he’s right. This isn’t some history lesson, and not just because the MLK Jr. estate, notoriously controlling when it comes to representations of the slain civil rights leader, didn’t let the production use any of his actual words (meaning that the filmmakers had to come up with speeches and dialogue that sounded like he’d say it but weren’t actually his). This is a living, breathing, fully realized dramatization and an absolute must-see. So, after you watch the featurette, buy your tickets for this weekend right here on Moviefone. You won’t be sorry.
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