I leaned over to my fellow reporter and whispered “this audience seems rowdy, I predict a lot of rustling and grumbling” Within ten minutes of Selma, I was proved utterly wrong as we, and the entire audience, sat in complete admiration for the totality of Selmas magnificent 128 minutes and a further 10 to catch our breath with the credits.

Nobody stirred.

Driven by the astonishing performance of David Oyelowo; Selma is one of 2015’s greatest cinema hits and does more than hold its own amongst fellow Oscar nominees Whiplash, Birdman and Theory of Everything. The story of Dr. Martin Luther King’s activist struggle is one of pain, hardship and suffering and Oyelowo serves complete justice to the role. His delivery is breathtaking and his rendition of King’s most famous speeches prove overwhelmingly uplifting, giving Selma a breathless and thoroughly engaging quality. Alongside Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey and Carmen Ejogo produce compelling performances and contribute to a cast t full of depth and raw talent. The themes are dealt with beautifully and it’s apparent that director Ava Duvernay had full intentions to bring Dr. King’s words to life in a manor that rang so appropriately with current racial tensions. Although the civil rights movement is a piece of history that has every right to stand independently as a documented struggle, it was refreshing to witness a piece of cinema that had no objective to be a dusty-documentary; as Selma’s political messages haunt us with an ever-darker relevance in the light of the U.S. attacks in recent years.

Selma is a political thriller but also a powerful piece of cinema that utilises an extremely talented cast. The fluidity and rhythm is refreshing, there are a series of rallies, demonstrations and marches before constant regrouping to the motivational voice of Dr. King, it makes for a very enjoyable spectacle. It’s about time somebody told Dr. King’s story and with Duvernay’s contemporary and coherent direction, Selma, in my opinion, proved to be the surprise film of 2015.

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