Women's Tales I

 

Presented by the fashion brand Miu Miu, Women’s Tales is a collection of short films made by women that in which the filmmakers use the clothes of Miu Miu to each tell a story of their own. Each film is set during a certain collection from that season from the fashion brand where a filmmaker is allowed to create a story through the clothes. There are 25 short films so far that all play into womanhood while wearing beautiful clothing.

I-V:

Powder Room (Zoe Cassavetes) is about a woman going into a powder room at a lavish hotel in London for some beauty rest as she sees other women going in and getting ready for whatever they’re about to do. It’s a three-minute short that doesn’t have much going for it but it does set the tone for what the rest of the series does though it’s not a promising start despite its minimalist tone.



Muta (Lucrecia Martel) is set on a yacht on the Amazon near Paraguay where eight women would be on the yacht wearing lavish clothing though their faces aren’t shown with a couple of them wearing masks. Featuring regular Martel actress Maria Alche, the six-minute short is a surreal one as it features an unseen men trying to get on the boat but fails as it is one of the best shorts of the series.



The Woman Dress (Giada Colagrande) revolves around a woman who enters a room where three women are preparing a ritual in creating a dress. The six-minutes short is a strange one in terms of its mixture of drama with a bit of horror though the latter is presented in a less gory manner than one would expect. It is a fascinating short that has Colagrande create something that has elements of surrealism but does a lot in emphasizing the creation of a dress.



It’s Getting Late (Massy Tadjedin) revolves around four women getting ready to finish their work to attend a concert by Zola Jesus. Starring Patricia Clarkson, Gemma Arterton, Rinko Kikuchi, and Aubrey Plaza, the short shows what these women do on a work day with Arterton being a stay-at-home mother, Clarkson a film editor, Kikuchi as a corporate executive, and Plaza as a blogger. The short has them taking off their work clothes and put on the Miu Miu outfit to watch Zola Jesus as it is an incredible short.



The Door (Ava Duvernay) is a stylish short that stars Gabrielle Union as a woman dealing with loneliness as she would meet three different women who would give her a night out. Featuring Adepero Oduye, Emayatzy Corinealdi, and singer Goapele Mohlabene as these admirers, the short has Duvernay showcase this sense of sisterhood among black women as the short also has Alfre Woodard as either a neighbor or Union’s mother who helps Union’s character as it is a phenomenal short.



Related: Part II – Part III – Part II - Part IV – Part V

© thevoid99 2023

Middle of Nowhere (2012 film)

 

Written and directed by Ava DuVernay, Middle of Nowhere is the story of a woman who drops out of med school to deal with her husband’s prison sentence that leads her to a journey of self-discovery. The film is a study of a woman dealing with not just the actions of her husband but also some things about herself forcing her to find her own path. Starring Emayatzy Corinealdi, Omari Hardwick, Edwina Findley, Sharon Lawrence, David Oyelowo, and Lorraine Toussaint. Middle of Nowhere is a somber and compelling film from Ava DuVernay.

Following events that lead to her husband’s criminal activities which forces him to serve 8 years in prison, the film follows a woman who is trying to live her life while often visiting her husband who is getting a chance to be paroled. It is a film that explores a woman who had a lot going for her only for her life to fall apart as she drops out of med school and works as a nurse at a local hospital while taking care of her nephew for her sister who is struggling to find work on her own. Ava DuVernay’s screenplay does follow a straightforward narrative yet it is really more of a character study of this woman in Ruby (Emayatzy Corinealdi) who is a registered nurse a local hospital in Southern California as her husband Derek (Omari Hardwick) is serving about to serve his fifth year in an eight-year prison sentence as the news of him getting a parole brings joy for Ruby.

Yet, there are some complications for that to happen where Ruby asks her mother Ruth (Lorraine Toussaint) for help in getting their attorney Alberta Fraine (Sharon Lawrence) to help out despite her busy schedule. The script doesn’t just play into Ruby’s own dedication to helping out her husband while doing what she can to help her family but also in sacrificing aspects of her own life including what she wanted as her mother feels disappointed that Ruby never finished med school. The film’s second half involves Ruby spending time with a bus driver in Brian (David Oyelowo) whom Ruby sees on her route to work all the time as it play into revelations about her husband’s activities in prison that also relates to why he went to prison. For Ruby, the film’s second half is about a journey into herself and all of the sacrifices she made for her husband as it has her questioning many aspects of her life while spending some time with Brian.

DuVernay’s direction does bear some style in terms of its presentation of montages and flashbacks yet much of her direction is largely straightforward as it is shot on location in various areas in Los Angeles. While there are some wide shots in the film to get a scope of the prison exterior, much of DuVernay’s direction is intimate in its usage of medium shots and close-ups. Notably in the scenes where Ruby arrives in prison as she goes through a routine to enter to meet Derek as well as what she does every day where she works the night shift as a nurse. DuVernay also maintains this air of claustrophobia in her close-ups as it play into Ruby’s own world coming apart as she is trying to get her husband released for his parole hearing as well as the pressures from her family. DuVernay’s compositions do add that air of drama but also some light-hearted moments that include scenes where Ruby spends time with her sister Rosie (Edwina Findley) and her son Nickie (Nehemiah Sutton) as well as a scene in the third act where Ruby and Brian go see an art house movie that confuses the latter. Still, DuVernay does play into some of the dramatic suspense such as the parole hearing in the film’s second act that is a key moment in the film that changes everything for Ruby.

The second act does play more into DuVernay’s claustrophobic presentation in some of the dramatic moments as does the third act in a scene where Ruby, Rosie, and Nickie are having a quiet dinner with Ruth that is filled with a lot of tension. DuVernay also play up into the decisions Ruby is making for herself with those such as Derek’s friend Rashad (Troy Curvey III) who discovers what Ruby is doing with Brian as he threatens to tell Derek. It does play into this decision that Ruby needed to make for herself even though she still loves Derek despite all of the shit he put her through. Overall, DuVernay crafts a mesmerizing and compelling film about a woman dealing with her identity and her relationship with her incarcerated husband.

Cinematographer Bradford Young does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of available and low-key natural lighting for many of the exterior and interior scenes in the day as well as using little lighting for some of the scenes at night to give it a sense of realism. Editor Spencer Averick does excellent work with the film’s editing as it is straightforward with a few montages and jump-cuts where the latter is for dramatic reasons. Production designer Claudia Roque does fantastic work with the look of the home that Ruby lives in as well as Ruth’s own home as it play into this world of modesty but also what Ruby has to live with from the life she used to have.

Costume designer Stacy Beverly does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward including some of the expensive clothes she wore for the parole hearing. Sound editor Kunal Rajan does terrific work with the sound as it is straightforward but also to capture the hollow textures of the prison rooms as well as the exterior scenes in the streets. The film’s music by Kathryn Bostic is wonderful as it is a largely ambient-based score that play into the drama while music supervisor Morgan Rhodes creates a soundtrack that features elements of hip-hop, R&B, and indie including cuts from Little Dragon, Afua Richardson & Alexa Edmonds Lima, Jimi James, Goapele, J Mitchell & Melodious Fly, Aybee featuring Omega, Fink, Natalie Gardiner, Trek Life & Oddisee, the Nonce, and Spektrum.

The casting by Aisha Coley is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles from Maya Dunbar as a former girlfriend of Derek in Gina who confronts Ruby early in the film, Troy Curvey III as Derek’s friend Rashad who is not happy with Ruby’s social activities, Nehemiah Sutton as Rosie's’ son Nickie who is fond of Ruby and asks when his uncle is coming home, and Sharon Lawrence in a terrific small role as the attorney Alberta Fraine who arrives for the parole hearing despite her ever-busy schedule. Edwina Findley is superb as Rosie as Ruby’s sister who is trying to find work as she also deals with Ruby’s own situation knowing that Derek did a lot to hurt her. Lorraine Toussaint is excellent as Ruby and Rosie’s mother Ruth as a woman who spends time taking care of her grandson while lamenting over the unfulfilled promises that her daughters had including Ruby whom she felt was meant for so much more.

David Oyelowo is brilliant as Brian as a bus driver whose bus Ruby rides as he befriends her at a party and later meet her at another party as the two begin a relationship despite knowing that she’s married and he’s divorced with a child while offering her something stable. Omari Hardwick is amazing as Derek as Ruby’s incarcerated husband who is serving an eight-year sentence as he is given a chance to be paroled where he finds himself doing things as well as keeping secrets from Ruby that puts his chance to be released in jeopardy. Finally, there’s Emayatzy Corinealdi in an incredible performance as Ruby as a former med student who works as a registered nurse at a local hospital that is desperate to try and get her husband out while dealing with the things she sacrificed her life as it is a fierce and somber performance as it play into the sacrifices of a woman who lost part of her life due to her love for her husband.

Middle of Nowhere is a marvelous film from Ava DuVernay that features a phenomenal leading performance from Emayatzy Corinealdi. Along with its ensemble cast, character study, naturalist visuals, and its haunting music score. The film is definitely a compelling drama that explores a woman who is trying to get her husband home but also deal with the sacrifices she made for herself. In the end, Middle of Nowhere is a remarkable film from Ava DuVernay.

Ava DuVernay Films: (This is the Life (2008 film)) – (I Will Follow) – Selma - 13th (2016 film) - (A Wrinkle in Time (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2022

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache

Directed and edited by Pamela B. Green and written by Green and Joan Simon with narration by Jodie Foster, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache is a film about the life and career of one of cinema’s early pioneers who was also considered to be one of the first real auteurs who also owned and ran her own studio. The film showcases the woman’s career as well as the films she created as well as why she was often overlooked during her career and the re-discovery of her work. The result is an engrossing and wondrous film from Pamela B. Green.

In 1895, a secretary for engineer/industrialist Leon Gaumont attended a private screening of a film entitled Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory by Auguste and Louis Lumiere. The secretary that is Alice Guy saw a new medium as from 1896 to 1920, she made hundreds of films that would not just pioneer cinema as an art form but also would create techniques and ideas that would be the basis of cinema itself. Like the Lumiere Brothers, Georges Melies, and Edwin Porter, they would create short films that would showcase cinema’s tool in the world of storytelling yet it would be Guy that would take the format much further prompting others including Melies to step up their game. In 1907, Guy married Englishman Herbert Blache as he would be Gaumont’s production manager in the U.S. until 1910 when she and Blache formed the Solax Company to make their own films as she would use the slogan “be natural” to those who worked at the studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

One of Guy-Blache’s innovations in filmmaking was the creation of the Gaumont Chronophone system that allowed her actors to lip-sync to pre-recorded music and use the music to sync up to the film footage as it was the early ideas of sound heard in film. Guy was also ambitious as she made a 25-part series of shorts relating to Jesus Christ as it was quite bold for its time. Another form of innovation that she did during her time in New Jersey was make a film with an entirely black cast in A Fool and His Money as it was made because white actors didn’t want to work with black actors prompting Guy-Blache to just hire an all-black cast regardless of prejudice. She also made films that had gender roles reversed as well as tackle subject matters that not many were willing to go into.

Then came World War I as business started to hurt Guy-Blache’s studio but also this emergence of businessmen wanting to take over the world of cinema including Thomas Edison prompting many studios to move to California rather than work with Edison who wanted to have a lot of control on the world of film through his own equipment and such. Herbert Blache would also move to California due to his affairs with other women leading to the two to divorce in 1922 as she returned to France with their children never making films again. Especially as she wouldn’t receive the proper credit for her work with Gaumont becoming more of a businessman in running his own studio as things would get tougher during the Great Depression and World War II though Gaumont would try to rectify his faults in giving her proper credit despite people around him telling him not to.

The documentary also has Pamela B. Green who also serves as the film’s editor not just trying to find out more about Guy-Blache and her films but also asking many other filmmakers, historians, actors, and such including Julie Taymor, Peter Bogdanovich, Evan Rachel Wood, Ava Duvernay, Peter Farrelly, Andy Samberg, Julie Delpy, Lake Bell, Gillian Armstrong, cinematographer John Bailey, and many others about Guy-Blache as many of them admit to never having heard of her. There is also the story of Green not just trying to find information about her films and her life but also meeting those who knew someone who knew Guy-Blache including descendants of Guy-Blache such as her great-great granddaughter as well as descendants of Leon Gaumont as there’s a scene where the descendants of Guy-Blache and Gaumont would go to various locations where Guy-Blache made some of her films. Much of Green’s direction and editing is straightforward with a few montages of film archivists finding some of Guy-Blache’s work while also going into the difficulty of restoring her work.

The film also features archival interviews from Guy-Blache from the late 1950s and early 1960s with narration by Jodie Foster who reads some of Guy-Blache’s comments and letters with a rare audio interview between Guy-Blache and a film historian in Brussels who wonders why she isn’t credited for her work. Notably as historians dating back to the 1940s would often omit her as some claim there was a lot of resentment towards her because she was a woman as some even question the validity of her claims in the mid-1970s after she had died in 1968. It would be Guy-Blache’s daughter Simone and other historians that would keep Guy-Blache’s name alive while Green would also talk to relatives who found old letters, photos, and notebooks that lead to many clues that show proof of Guy-Blache’s claims. Upon discovering the shorts of Guy-Blache, cinematographer John Bailey and others at the Academy Arts and Science would try to recreate one of her shorts with comedy actors Chris Kattan and Horatio Sanz with the same camera that Guy-Blache used.

Sound editors Casey Langfelder and Daniel Saxlid, along with sound designers Marcello Dubaz and Kent Sparling, do superb work in providing many of the audio archives from Guy-Blache’s interview with the Belgian film historian that his grandson had kept all of these years while also capturing all of the people who are interviewed for the film as they all talk about discovering Guy-Blache and her importance in film history. The film’s music by Peter G. Adams is terrific for its mixture of low-key electronic music and ambient pieces as it play into the search for Guy-Blache’s films and everything about her. Even as Green showcases old photos of the studio she created in New Jersey as well as visual recreation of the studio itself and where filming took place in the studio.

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache is a phenomenal film from Pamela B. Green. It’s a film that anyone interested in film history or film itself must see as it not only does some correcting into some of the real stories about cinema’s birth but also in showcasing one of its pioneers and her innovative work. Especially as it showcases the woman’s work and her brief yet illustrious career that proved how influential she was. In the end, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache is a sensational film from Pamela B. Green.

Related: The Short Films of Alice Guy-Blache Vol. 1

© thevoid99 2020

13th (2016 film)

Directed by Ava DuVernay and written by DuVernay and Spencer Averick, 13th is a documentary about the 13th Amendment in U.S. Constitution where a loophole has been exploited allowing authorities to incarcerate African-Americans into prison. The film is an exploration of the amendment’s loophole as well as the complicated history of race relations in America that has led to race riots and such while showing that not much has changed since the American Civil War in the 1860s as it relates to race. The result is an absolutely sobering and terrifying film from Ava DuVernay.

On January 31, 1865 just a few months before the American Civil War ended, the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution was passed that simply abolished slavery from the country but there was a loophole that had been exploited into many years. The loophole states that while slavery is abolished unless an individual has committed a crime and has to be punished. More than 150 years since the American Civil War has ended and yet not much has changed as much of the prison population in America is filled by African-American men as it’s total population is more than 2 million. What Ava DuVernay reveals through interviews from many college professors including the famed Civil Rights activist Angela Davis plus some politicians including Newt Gingrich is that not only has slavery reinvented itself into something far crueler in the prison system but also what the police, political leaders, and even those in corporate America will do to keep slavery alive inside the prisons.

With the interviews shot by its cinematographers in Hans Charles and Kira Kelly, DuVernay doesn‘t just get a lot of perspective on the history of the Civil Rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s but also ended it in some ways despite the fact that the Civil Rights bill did allow African-Americans to vote and have the same freedom as any other American. Many of the interviews are quite straightforward but DuVernay reveal a lot of things are quite chilling as it relates to the racial inequality that is going around in America since the aftermath of the Civil War. One of the big references that DuVernay and many historians/professors cite is D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation which was an astronomical film when it was released in 1915 yet it gave the public the idea that African-Americans are seen as rapists, criminals, and animals rather than human beings. Some say the film help resurrect the Ku Klux Klan as well as create the Jim Crow laws of segregation.

It wasn’t until the 1970s when Richard Nixon was in power that he implemented the idea of law and order that would put more African-American men in prison that would continue to unimaginable heights in the 1980s under the Ronald Reagan administration as he used the war on drugs as a way to criminalize poor African-Americans from inner cities for using crack as they would get more punishment than someone buying powder cocaine. Leading this war on drugs was the first lady Nancy Reagan as a former congressman revealed that the intentions were good but it showed how bad it become. While Bill Clinton in the 1990s would create something that would eventually cause more trouble by his own admittance years later as it increased the prison population drastically. Especially as once the U.S. entered the 21st Century, it should be noted that this is a country that is really a capitalist country in the worst way as even something like mass incarceration can become a business. Leading that is the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) who has been using their influence in politics to create new laws to help increase criminalization in America.

Though ALEC has tried to change its ways in recent years, there are still a lot of problems as DuVernay also reveals through stock footage, previously aired footage, and old interviews with the aid of editor/co-writer Spencer Averick about the ideas of what men with corporate ties want to do. It goes back to the days of slavery where one of the reasons the economy in the South was so profitable in the first half of the 19th Century is slavery. One notable sequence which showcases an African-American man beating harassed and beaten just as he’s walking the street by white men and then cuts to African-Americans beating hit in the face at a rally for a certain Presidential candidate who wants to spout the ideas of going back to the good ol’ days.

With the aid of sound mixer Jeffrey Perkins creating some audio montages that include some very scathing comments from a member of Ronald Reagan‘s election campaign in 1980 about what to say showcases the ideas of what Republicans would do to get votes from the African-American community while having some ulterior motive. The film’s music by Jason Moran is superb for its chilling score that has these ominous electronic textures with some orchestral flourishes that play into the damage of what has happened to African-Americans as well as the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement which is becoming very important. Music supervisor Tera DuVernay provides a fantastic soundtrack that is a mixture of traditional music and hip-hop as it says a lot into the state of the world and the cruelty of the American government in its treatment of not just African-Americans but also Latino and immigrants.

13th is an outstanding film from Ava DuVernay. It’s a film that isn’t just shocking in terms of how little progress America has made towards race relations but also engrossing into a world that is unstable while there are those who are willing to make changes to make this country a better place for future generations to come. In the end, 13th is a tremendous film from Ava DuVernay.

Ava DuVernay Films: (This is the Life (2008 film)) - (I Will Follow) - Middle of Nowhere (2012 film) - Selma - (A Wrinkle in Time (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2016

Selma

Directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb, Selma is the story of the events leading to the 1965 march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and several other Civil Rights leaders trying to make a difference during the Civil Rights movement in the American South. The film is a dramatic account of the non-violent march from Selma to Montgomery in the state of Alabama as it is considered a key turning point in the American Civil Rights movement. Starring David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Giovanni Ribisi, Tim Roth, Tessa Thompson, Wendell Pierce, Alessandro Nivola, and Oprah Winfrey. Selma is a mesmerizing and riveting film from Ava DuVernay.

The film is a dramatic account of the events that preceded the non-violent march from Selma to Montgomery led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) in an attempt for African-Americans to have the right to register to vote that would eventually lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Told in a straightforward manner, the film follows Dr. King and fellow Civil Rights leader who prepare for this march just as Dr. King is having frequent meetings with President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) about allowing African-Americans to have the right to register to vote without any issues. Johnson is reluctant as he has other things to deal with where he is also dealing with some opposition like FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Dylan Baker) who thinks King is up to no good while King would also have to deal with Alabama’s Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth).

Paul Webb’s screenplay doesn’t just explore Dr. King’s attempt to get the march going with several other Civil Rights leaders but also dealing with the authority in Alabama where a lot of planning occurs. Even as Dr. King ponders if the media will see what happens as he also deals with the church bombing in Birmingham that killed four young girls and other events that includes the death of Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch). The script also plays in moments behind the scenes where Dr. King becomes weary and unsure of what is doing as his own personal life would nearly unravel when the FBI tries to create discord between Dr. King and his wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) over the former’s supposed extramarital affairs. Still, Dr. King tries to get the march forward where he also deals with members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who don’t agree with Dr. King’s views.

There is a structure where much of the first half is about Dr. King and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference trying to plan for the march as well as deal with all sorts of legal and social issues. Even as Dr. King copes with loss and other things as well having to go back to his home in Atlanta and flying to Washington D.C. to meet with President Johnson. The second half is about the first two attempts for the march as the first one ends in violence where it is captured by the press while the second one would end abruptly by Dr. King due to an act of faith. Especially where he would hear that those who would march with him including whites would be targeted in this small Alabama town where racial tension is very high. The third act is about President Johnson’s decision as he is aware of the role he is playing where he knows what might happen if he doesn’t act.

Ava DuVernay’s direction is largely straightforward in terms of the fact that she doesn’t go for anything grand nor play too much into exposition which is often the case with a lot of films based on historical events. While much of it is shot in Atlanta and other parts in the nearby city including a few key shots in Selma and Montgomery. The film is more about the American South as a whole where it plays into a landscape that is changing where you have a group of people that want change but you have this other group that opposes change. DuVernay’s usage of wide and medium shots help play into this tension that is happening in Alabama which is the centerpiece of this old idea of the American South dating back to the 1800s. Even as Dr. King would meet this old man who is in his 80s as he is waiting for the right to vote as it is this very simple moment where this old man just endured loss as he ponders if he has a say in anything in this country that is supposed to be about equality. The direction also has DuVernay create moments that are quite intense such as a non-violent confrontation against a county sheriff that does unfortunately turn violent because the old man couldn’t sit down where a woman would hit that sheriff and all hell breaks loose.

The usage of close-ups and hand-held cameras play into that chaos as well as a moment where people are attempting a march at night where it turns very violent in the hands of the police. There are also moments during these meetings where DuVernay does create something where there is tension but also the need to resolve something not just in the meetings President Johnson would have with his staff and Dr. King but also a scene with him and Governor Wallace that plays into a world that is changing. The latter of which is actually afraid of change but is also indifferent in what history will think of him as it’s something President Johnson is aware of. While its ending is predictable, it does have something to say in what Dr. King has done to make the world better no matter how troubling it is but it’s also in the idea that one person does have a say. Overall, DuVernay creates a gripping yet engaging film about one of the most watershed moments in American history.

Cinematographer Bradford Young does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from its usage of low-key lights for some of the interiors in many of the scenes set day and night to the look of the towns in the daytime including the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Editor Spencer Averick does nice work in creating some unique rhythmic and jump-cuts to play into some of the drama as well as some of the intense moments in the film. Production designer Mark Friedberg, with set decorator Elizabeth Keenan and art director Kim Jennings, does fantastic work with the look of the home of Dr. King and his family as well as some church interiors including the scene in Birmingham where the four little girls would be killed on that day. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter does wonderful work with the costumes as it play into the period of the times as well as the dresses the women wear.

Visual effects supervisors Anup Shakya and Dottie Starling do brilliant work with some of the minimal visual effects such as the Birmingham church bombing sequence as well as a few other moments that is essentially set dressing. Sound editor Greg Hedgepath does superb work with the sound as it play into some of the chaos in some of the protests as well as some chilling moments in the conversations. The film’s music by Jason Moran is terrific as it‘s mostly low-key and doesn’t appear very much as it is largely a mixture of orchestral, folk, and gospel to play into the times while music supervisor Morgan Rhodes provides a intoxicating soundtrack that mixes a lot of the music of the times from folk, gospel, soul, and blues from artists like Joyce Collins & Johnita Collins, Duane Eddy, Sarah Vaughan, the Staple Singers, Otis Redding, Odetta, the Impressions, and a new song called Glory by John Legend and Common.

The casting by Aisha Coley and Cynthia Stillwell are incredible as it features a massive ensemble with notable small roles from Jeremy Strong as white Boston pastor James Reeb, Tara Ochs as white Civil Rights activist Viola Liuzzo, Stan Houston as Selma’s sheriff Jim Clark, Nigel Thatch as Malcolm X, Michael Papajohn as state trooper leader Major John Cloud, Henry G. Sanders as the old man Cager Lee that Dr. King befriends, Keith Stansfield as the old man’s grandson, Ledisi Young as the legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson that Dr. King turns to for guidance early in the film, and Oprah Winfrey in a small yet wonderful standout performance as activist Annie Lee Cooper who is just a woman that just wants the right to vote. Other noteworthy appearances include Martin Sheen as Judge Frank Minis Johnson who decides whether Dr. King could march, Cuba Gooding Jr. as civil rights attorney Fred Grey, Dylan Baker as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Stephen Root as Governor Wallace’s advisor Al Lingo, Niecy Nash as activist Richie Jean Jackson, and Giovanni Ribisi as President Johnson’s advisor Lee C. White.

In the performances of the many associates of Dr. King, Colman Domingo as Ralph Abernathy, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Bayard Rustin, Stephan James as SNCC co-chairman John Lewis, Wendell Pierce as Hosea Williams, Lorraine Toussaint as Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Andrew Holland as Andrew Young are all excellent as people who are trying to see what they can do for the movement and make sure it goes in the right direction. Tessa Thompson is superb as Diane Nash as an activist who helps Dr. King in the strategy of the Selma march while Common is fantastic as Reverend James Bevel who also helps in making sure things go right in the need for non-violence. Alessandro Nivola is amazing as Assistant Attorney General John Doar who meets with Dr. King to understand what is doing while trying to ensure him that President Johnson is at his side knowing that what Dr. King wants isn’t easy.

Tim Roth is brilliant as Governor George C. Wallace as Alabama’s then-governor who tries to make sure Dr. King doesn’t march as Roth sells that air of racism in the governor as well as display a sense of fear about what could happen if change does happen in Alabama. Carmen Ejogo is radiant as Coretta Scott King as Dr. King’s wife who is aware of what her husband is doing while also knowing that not everything in her marriage is great though she stands by him when he needs her at the march. Tom Wilkinson is great as President Lyndon B. Johnson who wants to invoke an act where African-Americans can vote without any issue but is trying to see how he wouldn’t get into trouble as he also copes with how history will see him. Finally, there’s David Oyelowo in a tremendous performance as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the civil rights leader who is trying to make change and ensure that the people of Alabama have a say while dealing with everything that involves in the march and its outcome as well as dealing with personal issues where he becomes overwhelmed with his role as a civil rights leader as it is a performance for the ages from Oyelowo.

Selma is a sensational film from Ava DuVernay that features an incredible performance from David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Featuring a great ensemble cast and a compelling story that plays a lot into some of its historical context and its stakes. It’s a film that doesn’t just carry a lot of importance but also showcase a moment in time that would prove to be a major moment in American history. In the end, Selma is a spectacular film from Ava DuVernay.

Ava DuVernay Films: (This is the Life (2008 film)) - (I Will Follow) - Middle of Nowhere (2012 film) - 13th (2016 film) - (A Wrinkle in Time (2018 film))

© thevoid99 2016