Every once and a while, you'll come across a film that leaves a lasting impact on you. A film that makes you think about important issues and the well-being of the world. Fruitvale Station is one of those films you'll be deeply thinking long after you leave the theater.
Fruitvale Station is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and profound films I've ever seen. Even though this film is based on true events and you know what's coming, the ending is still devastating. You get so attached to Oscar Grant and the people in his life that you just don't want to believe what happened to him was real. Grant isn't portrayed as a saint in the slightest and has more than his fair share of character flaws, but this is a kid that was making an honest attempt to turn his life around after his past mistakes before his life was unjustly taken. The climax brings out a wide array of emotions from heartbreak to anger at the police and the way they treated him and I was left speechless when the credits rolled. This film holds even more weight after the Trayvon Martin case. Both Grant and Martin were young African-American men who weren't exactly the most upstanding citizens, but were wrongly killed by excessive force from trigger-happy men. Seeing the events unfold on-screen makes you feel even more for the families of the victims of these tragedies. Grant had his whole life ahead of him and a young daughter who is going to grow up without a father all because of a misunderstanding with some transit cops on New Year's Eve in Oakland. This is a film that exposes so many racial issues that still exist in this country. It may be better than it once was, but discrimination and racism are still very prevalent in this country and it's about time people started to examine and solve these issues before another young man or woman of color is killed for no reason.
The driving force on what made Fruitvale Station so powerful aside from its tragic true story is how the events are brought to life on-screen and the performances from the entire cast. Writer/director Ryan Coggler lets the narrative of the film flow so naturally that it seems like real life. Every situation and line of dialogue is so authentic that it makes every scene that much more emotionally-commanding (especially the last 20 minutes and the flashback prison visit scene with Grant and his mother.) Coggler gives such a honest portrayal of Grant exposing his strengths and weaknesses and you really get a picture of exactly who he was as a person and how the people in his life affected his behavior. It's especially incredible considering that is his only his first film. If he can write something this strong as his first movie, he has a ton of potential for the future and could end up becoming one of Hollywood's premier directors if he keeps up the quality of his work. From an acting standpoint, this about as good as you can get from an ensemble. Everyone in this film gives it 110% and delivers some of the most striking performances I've seen in quite some time. Michael B. Jordan's performance as Oscar is absolutely sensational. He embodies Oscar and you want him to succeed so much because of the emotional depth and aura of likability he has despite his flaws and when he passes, you're just left crushed and that's a testament to how strong Jordan is in this role. This is the type of performance that launches careers and hopefully gains some type of recognition come awards season. Melonie Diaz and Octavia Spencer also shine as Oscar's girlfriend and mother respectively. They are always there for Oscar even when he screws up and makes brash decisions. The scenes with them following Oscar's passing are some of the most tragic and well-acted ever put on film. The strength of Spencer's performance was no surprise because of how great she was in her Academy Award-winning turn in The Help, but Diaz came out of nowhere (for me at least) with an absolutely brilliant performance. She has all the making of a superstar given the amount of authentic emotion she put into this role. I really hope that Jordan, Diaz and Spencer get the nominations they deserve come Oscar time. Fruitvale Station is a triumphant film that brings the story of Oscar Grant to the big screen with a lot of poignancy, grace and emotion. This is undoubtedly one of the finest films of 2013 thus far that demands to be seen by cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike.
4.5/5 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment