“One day when the glory comes, it will be ours.”

I did not cry at the end of “Selma.” I cried three times before that. And I watched tears roll down the face of my father as the credits rolled. John Legend and Common won best original song at the Golden Globes for the lyrics above. “Glory” filled the speakers as the nonviolent marchers finally walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, signaling a moving change.

“Selma” centers around the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights. Audiences are taken on a behind-the-scenes journey into Martin Luther King Jr.’s, inner circle with an up-close glimpse of what his life was like at the time.

From his troubles negotiating with President Lyndon B. Johnson to his tense marital struggles, director Ava DuVernay upturns countless stones.

DuVernay does an impressive job moving through the workings of this part of the Civil Rights movement. There were few times when I thought, “Was that right?” as I often do with historical films.

The casting of “Selma” was able to breathe life into this film. They portrayed numerous historical figureheads with fearless grace.

This included Dr. King (David Oyelowo), Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), Annie Lee Cooper (Oprah Winfrey), Alabama Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth) and Malcom X (Nigel Thatch).

Generally, it is incredibly easy to become engrossed in our own little worlds, propelling our lives toward the surely prosperous future. We forget the past. If people held on too tightly to the atrocities of the past they would be weighed down and riddled by grief and guilt for what we have today and what people did not have in the past. This is much of what it feels like watching “Selma.” Starting from when we see four young girls in their Sunday best die ruthlessly at the hands of explosives, up until Dr. King’s moving speech in Montgomery, there is this gnawing grief that grabs hold of the audience and never lets go.

As the film hurdles on, it becomes evident just how important this film is now in 2015 and how important it will be 50 years down the line.

This is not a movie people watch to try and distract themselves from life. “Selma” forces its audience to stop, take a long, discerning look around and realize this war is not over. This country still has milestones to conquer.

It was odd to me that a film surrounding the past could make me brood so heavily on the present.

I do not think I can put into words just how vital it is for people of all ages to go see this film. If the price of movie ticket is too high, catch the matinee. This movie is worth more than the $8.75 it costs to see it.

It does not matter your gender or what shade your flesh is. What matters is you are human and — whether you are black, white, green or blue — this issue affects you. Take the time out of your beautiful, first world day to watch a film that can truly improve your perspective.