Prossima fermata Fruitvale Station

Fruitvale Station (2013)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Exceptionally good drama from writer-director Ryan Coogler about Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) and the various encounters his has with those around him. This fact-based drama gained major media attention when Grant was shot in the back by a police officer and this film really tries to be as real as possible in regards to its actual visual look. I'm not going to sit here and say this is a documentary because no film with a script and acting should be called a real document of any event. I'm sure things have been changed and altered for a dramatic effect so obviously one shouldn't come here expecting a documentary. With that said, there's no question that this is an exceptionally well-made movie and one that features some very good performances. I think the strongest thing that the film has going for it is the realistic style that Coogler creates. It's also as if we're really there on Grant's final day as a camera just follows him around from one location to the next. I thought this really helped create an environment that the viewer could connect with no matter what their race was. I think the film also does a good job showing where this 22-year-old man was in his life when all of this was going down and I'm sure many people won't approve of some of his choices but there's no question that the end result is something that's not only shocking but will leave you scratching your head as to why it happened. I think most people are going to know the story already but that really doesn't take away from the drama created by Coogler. In fact, we're shown what happens as the movie starts so we know how everything ends. Jordan turns in a terrific performance in the lead and I really like how he never tries to make Grant some sort of superhero or anything that he wasn't. I appreciate how the performance is just raw, on target and shows a human being struggling with life. The supporting performances are all good with Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz standing out. FRUITVALE STATION is depressing from the opening scene all the way through the opening credits so one shouldn't come here expecting something cheerful but it's certainly hard hitting.

It's almost a Hitchcockian exercise what Coogler does. Showing the climatic incident from the start, making his audience know exactly how the incident happened, where it's all leading to, leaving us during the entire movie in the expectation of when is it finally going to hit.

The tragedy deepens from the first message he sends until the birthday of his mother, as we see all the memories piled up on the fridge and the director frames the last time Oscar we'll be with his family, closing the second act and leading us to what we know to be the inevitable end.

And during the entire movie, the director leaves what seems to be hints for any explication that might make us understand what happened. The drugs, the blood, his anger. Almost defying us to take those as signs of what we would normally think if taken out of context.

And yet, the randomness of the moment is so much more impactful because there's no reason to it. Despite the fight that spikes it, all we see until then are signs of the redemption Oscar seeks, because of his daughter, and the abrupt end to all of it. "You shot me", the lasting words of a confused man, as we are by the end.

An accomplished film from young writer/director Ryan Coogler detailing the events that led up to the murder of Oscar Grant, a 20-something black man, by San Francisco police on New Year's Eve.

Most of the film is a day-in-the-life study of Oscar, a young man who's trying to get straight in an environment that doesn't make it easy. He's recently spent time in jail when the movie opens, and he's lied to his girlfriend (with whom he shares a young daughter) about getting fired from his job. The lure of petty drug hustling is strong, but he's fighting the temptation, and he's got a mom (Octavia Spencer) who checks in occasionally to remind him how disappointed she'll be if he falls back on crime. The film avoids making any kind of hero out of Oscar -- he's a decent guy who's fighting the odds in not terrible but not great circumstances, and though his murder could easily have become a symbol of white oppression (which in real life it did), the movie doesn't force that idea down its audience's throats.

One of the things I liked best about "Fruitvale Station" was how honest it was about its portrayal of white/black relations. White people don't play much of a role at all in these black people's lives -- the cop who murders Oscar is white, but the film shows other interactions with random white people that are perfectly normal and kind. The movie isn't concerned with preaching about how whites and blacks should get along -- instead it acknowledges that whites and blacks exist in very different cultures and explores the worst case scenario of how tragic the outcome can be when one doesn't make the slightest effort at accepting the humanity of the other.

Grade: A-

"I'm good, I'm good, I'm gonna be good."

Fruitvale Station is one of those small independent films that found a connection with audiences and critics alike ever since it was released early last year in the Sundance Film Festival winning both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize. Nearly an year has passed until I finally was able to watch this captivating and tragic film based on the last day of Oscar Grant's life. This is Ryan Coogler's debut film, and he should have no trouble financing his upcoming projects after the breakthrough with Fruitvale Station which he also happened to write. It's a passionate and powerful film that benefits from a stellar performance by Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle and Friday Night Lights). He is the driving force of this film and the reason why the final 15 minutes hit our emotional chords so hard. The injustice he suffers from police brutality makes our blood boil and ultimately Coogler achieves the effect he was looking for. Since the film is based on a true story and we already know the tragic outcome, I thought it would take away much of the dramatic effect, but I was mistaken because Ryan Coogler uses this knowledge to build the story and make us care for the main protagonist. It makes us question the what ifs and what would've happened if he decided to listen to his daughter and stay home, or travel by car instead of train. It is those small moments that connect with the audience and make us route for him despite the impending doom. It is a well crafted social critique about an important issue that hits home.

Oscar Grant (Micheal B. Jordan) wakes up on the last day of 2008 convinced he's going to turn his life around, making this his New Year's resolution. Trying to get his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz) -who also happens to be the mother of his four year old daughter, Tatiana (Ariana Neal)- to forgive him for a past infidelity and forming a family is his first priority. Next he tries to get his recently lost job back at a local store, but that proves to be impossible. He has promised his mother, Wanda (Octavia Spencer), that he will never return to prison so selling drugs is no longer a means to make a living. Despite the difficulties he's facing he's still focused on turning his life around while trying to support his family. So the film continues to follow Oscar as he interacts with the people that cross his path on that last day of the year until the inevitable tragic event that will take place in the train station later that night.

I agree with some of the criticism that this film has received for foreshadowing the tragic event throughout the course of the day and trying to put a halo on him by focusing on how he was going to turn his life around. The scene with the dog is one classic example of that and yes it is manipulative and tries a little too hard to win over our sympathies. A mistake that a newcomer like Ryan Coogler can correct as he continues to grow as a promising film maker. Perhaps that is the weakest part of the film, but I can see how a person like him would want to turn his life around considering it was the last day of the year and we usually do make many resolutions during this time. I also agree with the fact that there is probably nothing true about the events that took place during that day other than the tragic outcome at the station which was recreated very well considering the authentic footage I've seen from the incident. But I do have to defend Coogler here because in a way I think we all tend to put a halo on the people we love once they are gone remembering the good things about them and not so much on the negative aspects. However there are moments where we get to see glimpses of the dark side in Jordan's performance which actually enhances the film, like when he confronts the manager. There is a perfect balance in that scene between him trying to help out a girl at the store and then threatening his former boss. Those small moments show the brilliance in Jordan's performance and Coogler's direction. Add that to the emotionally engaging final 15 minutes of the film and you will have a hard time arguing your case against this film.

I knew nothing about the true story behind this film before I saw it but Ryan Coogler did an impressive job of telling this controversial story. Coogler takes us to the last day in 2008, and introduces us to Oscar Grant's life. A young, troubled father that is trying to do the right thing by his family. This was his debut at Sundance and he didn't disappoint. The audience laughed when the actors laughed and shed tears when the actors shed tears...it was a very moving film. By the end of the film I felt as though I knew these people personally. The whole cast did an excellent job! I'm looking forward to hearing more about Ryan Coogler in the future.