Fences (2016, PG-13)

Adapted by August Wilson from his own play, Fences is an acting tour de force, telling an intimate story well with specificity and care.  While it at times feels very notably like a play, that isn’t something I mind much.

In mid-century Pittsburgh, Troy and Rose have been married for 18 years, long enough to fall into their respective patterns.  As Troy takes up space and makes his voice heard, airing grievances long since past and interfering in his family’s lives as he sees fit, Rose tries to carry on and make the best of things.  But an escalating downturn leads to a revelation the couple may not be able to recover from.

This is a film that lives and dies by its cast, and they really are something.  If Denzel Washington gives a very “actory” performance as Troy, it’s only because Troy is a very actory sort of person.  Throughout the film, you recognize his bluster more and more as a reflection of his fears.  He talks the loudest, laughs the longest, and throws his weight around the hardest because he can’t bear the thought that he might not matter and is desperate to prove otherwise.  In a society that does its best to rob Black men of their masculinity, Troy is determined to be the king of his own home, making shows of force to his wife and children just because he can, and because he can’t elsewhere.

But it’s Viola Davis’s Rose that really bowls me over.  Where Washington goes big, fitting his character, she goes subtle, equally fitting hers.  Rose is all about sublimation, years of managing and peacemaking and renegotiating her dreams.  You can hear the years in her voice, read it in her face.  She lets everything fall on her until that final straw (there’s always a final straw,) where, even in unburdening herself, she’s still so restrained.  Deep-running still waters to Washington’s blaze of fire, her performance just dazzles me.

Washington does double duty as director here, spare but effective.  Like I said, the film feels very much like a play, with long, dialogue-heavy scenes playing out in the same few locales.  This has its advantages and disadvantages.  The gems in the dialogue are given space to breathe, and the actors have a lot of room in which to work.  Additionally, keeping so much of the action contained within the home and the yard adds to the claustrophobic feel, the sense that these characters are trapped in their lives.  On the other hand, a play on a film set can never feel as immediate as a play on a stage, and the fact that it was translated so little for the different medium can make it feel at times like it’s keeping you at arms length.  It’s just a little artificial, a little removed.

Warnings

Language (including the N-word,) sexual references, drinking, and thematic elements.