Selma is a powerful and important film that exceptionally portrays the Christian activism which Martin Luther King Jr. personified in his march for racial equality that quickly turned into a revolutionary turning point for a nation.

Selma opens with King (David Oyelowo) confiding to his wife about his other dream for a much simpler life as a pastor in a small college town. It’s a striking moment that reminds that underneath the legend Martin Luther King Jr. was a pure Christian soul, who much like William Wilberforce, Solomon Northup, Dorothy Day and many others before him (and after), relied upon and used the Christian faith to battle injustice both on the streets and in the corridors of political power.

While many decry any relationship between Church and State, more often than not those on the side of the Church have battled and won important social justice causes that wold have never been advocated by those in the State. Case in point are the events depicted in Selma, a pointed political, historical and religious drama that depicts the 1965 Selma to Montgomery right to vote marches led by King and others.

Directing is Ana DVuernay, who with her third narrative feature film has delivered something quite exceptional, a potent piece of historical fiction that moves, illuminates and educates not only about the struggle to thwart racism in a country that’s founded on the Christian inspired principle that “all men are created equal”, but also looks behind the pulpit at the strategies employed to evoke a much too silent nation to support a righteous cause.

Vital, of course, is the portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. , one of the most important political and social figures in American history, who has seldom been portrayed on the big screen. With high expectation on how and who would tackle such a gargantuan role, the decision to cast the right man (as opposed to the movie star choice) in British actor David Oyelowo is one of brilliance.

From the cadence of his speech, to the physical presence he demands, to the passion and suffering he felt for this most noble and moral of causes, Oyelowo simply becomes Martin Luther King in mind, body and unbreakable spirit. It’s the kind of breathtaking, transformative performance that knocks you for a loop and has you reflecting on its power for days afterwards.

Much like last 12 Years a Slave, the racially fuelled violence featured in Selma rightly startles in its ugliness, especially the depiction of the now infamous brutality unleashed upon civil rights protestors by a brigade of local police officers in front of a national TV audience. Those events are now remembered as “Bloody Sunday”, a national disgrace and turning point in winning public support for the civil rights cause.

Yet unlike 12 Years a Slave which curiously omitted Solomon Northup’s strong Christianity, Selma does not (nor could not) stray from the religious motivation that fuelled King’s political and moral compass. Whether it was in his electrifying preaching in packed churches, or when he made a public call for all clergy and people of good faith to stand with him in solidarity against those who disgrace God’s decree that we are all of one blood, Martin Luther King Jr. understood how the power of Christ’s teaching could bring about positive social change.

Selma excellent portrayal of this Christian activism is not only timeless but timely, serving as a reminder of what once was and what needs to be again.