When thinking about the civil rights movement, the focus is naturally on the famous protests and the speeches. The same goes for Selma, the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic that centers around the 54-mile march to Selma, Ala., a campaign to fight for equal voting rights. But what makes Selma such a successful movie is that while it does depict the protests, it also depicts the people behind the protests. And director Ava DuVernay makes you see—Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers were human.
Take this clip for instance. Away from the heated confrontation of the march from Selma, this scene is just MLK (David Oyelowo) and company digging into Richie Jean Jackson's (Niecy Nash) breakfast spread. Laughs are had, grits are stirred, and it all works to reinforce that though these people did remarkable things, they had moments of normality just like everyone else.
Momentous change can from humble origins. Selma hits theaters nationwide on Jan. 9th.
