This is a
movie I’ve had my eye on for a while, and I finally made the time to watch it.
I’ve really loved both of Ryan Coogler’s more commercial movies, so I wanted to
go back and see his debut feature film, which also doubles as the beginning of
his beautiful friendship with Michael B. Jordan (premise spoilers, but it’s
based on a true story, so that’s also just recent history.)
Fruitvale Station follows Oscar Grant
through his final day, December 31st, 2008, before being killed by a
police officer in a subway station. Of course, Oscar doesn’t realize it’s the
last day of his life, and he spends it preparing for his mother’s birthday
get-together, dealing with employment woes, and making New Year’s Eve plans
with his girlfriend and friends.
I really
like the low-key flow of the narrative here. Following a protagonist through
the course of their day, which meanders but becomes fateful in the end, is a
classic indie-film move, and the film carries it off well. We’re already primed
for the ending, so we know where we’re heading and catch the muted references
of dramatic irony as Oscar plans for a future he won’t have.
I also
love the portrait the film paints of Oscar. The movie offers up his admirable
qualities (his easy people skills and natural inclination to help people, how
beautifully he plays with his daughter) as well as his flaws (he can be
hotheaded and impulsive, and despite a determination to turn things around
after serving time, desperation can lead him to bad decisions.) When someone is
the victim of a police shooting, one side is always quick to depict the person
as a lowlife criminal, the other side as a sainted innocent. But the tack Coogler
and co. takes here is more along the lines of how Trevor Noah talks about
police shootings: someone can be a good, worthwhile human being without having
been perfect, and having a criminal record doesn’t mean someone deserves to be
killed by an officer of the law. It’s a more complex picture, and while I’m
aware that some people might see Oscar’s past or the way he argues with the
cops and take that as “proof,” I find it to be a respectful portrayal of a man
who was more than the broad stokes people paint him with.
Michael
B. Jordan anchors the film as Oscar. He plays Oscar’s many different sides with
nuance, giving a subtle but compelling performance that holds your attention
whether he’s driving, charming a customer at the butcher counter, or making the
most of a subway ride. The film also features Octavia Spencer as Oscar’s mom
and Melonie Diaz as Oscar’s girlfriend Sophina, plus Kevin Durand (who I always
remember as Keamy from Lost) and Chad
Michael Murray in small but pivotal roles as the officers in Fruitvale Station.
Warnings
Disturbing
violence, language, drinking/smoking/drug references, sexual references, and
strong thematic elements.
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