Fruitvale Station (2013)
Genre: Drama/Biopic
Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz
When I first saw Fruitvale Station in August 2013, I was blown away by how relevant its poignant commentary on modern-day racism and how flawed the American justice system was in wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting. Two years later with events such as the unjust murders of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Freddie Gray dominating the social landscape in the United States, the impact of the film is even greater . Fruitvale Station tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year old African-American man who was murdered by a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) cop in the early hours of January 1, 2009 in Oakland, California after being falsely accused of starting a brawl on a train and resisting arrest. Even though the murder was captured on cell phone video by numerous onlookers at the scene, the cop who killed was never convicted. The film examines the last 24 hours of his life and how Grant is trying to get his life back on track after serving two years in prison for selling marijuana. What makes Fruitvale Station so special is the remarkably human portrayal of Grant. Coogler delves headfirst into Grant's shortcomings as a person while still making him out to be a good, empathetic man who is trying to get his life on track and support his young daughter. The film's portrayal of Grant as a flawed-but-worthy man is ultimately sold by Jordan's phenomenal performance. Jordan does such an effortless job embodying Grant and authentically selling the internal conflicts he faced on the last day of his life that you sometimes feel you're like watching a documentary instead of a scripted film. Fruitvale Station is an utterly brilliant, powerful, unsettling and incredibly timely film that paints a disturbingly accurate picture of where race relations in America are today.
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