Fruitvale Station, 2013.
Written and Directed by Ryan Coogler.
Starring Michael B. Jordan, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Melonie Diaz and Octavia Spencer.
SYNOPSIS:
The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.
Fruitvale Station is directed by first time filmmaker Ryan Coogler and stars one of my favorite up-and-comers Michael B. Jordan playing Oscar Grant III. Oscar was shot by police at the titular Fruitvale Station in Oakland California in 2009 (not a spoiler, as this gets revealed in the opening credits) . This is a very important film, especially with the recent Trayvon Martin tragedy.
I was expecting a really honest movie that showed who Oscar was before his tragic death. What I got was an incredibly powerful film that works on so many levels. Not only is Michael B. Jordan likely to get some awards this season, but hopefully so too will Ryan Coogler. He directs the movie like a young Darren Aronofsky and I wouldn’t be surprised if The Wrestler was an inspiration. Coogler chooses to shoot the movie with a documentary feel and 95 percent of the shots include Michael B. Jordan who is fantastic as Oscar.
Fruitvale Station opens with footage from the actual shooting and it sets up a very tense movie. Coogler torments the viewer by slowly twisting the knife with normal everyday scenes. I haven’t felt this tense in a non-thriller in a long time. But overall it’s Jordan who makes this movie work. This isn’t a sappy tear jerking melodrama – it’s a day in the life character study film with a gut punch ending. Jordan brings charisma to this role and really shows the duality of being a young male. He’s a father, a son , and a drug dealer and he interacts with his friends, his baby’s mother, and mom completely differently but always with finesse.
What pushed this movie from being great to easilyy my favorite of the year is how much it resonated with me and how much it’ll resonate with other people who can relate. Coogler has captured what it’s like to be a young black man or father in America. I see myself in Oscar and also any of my friends. His family reminds me of my family. At first glance, Oscar and his friends look like thugs and criminals, but ultimately they’re good people with no ill intentions, which is what makes this idea so scary. Oscar could’ve been one of my cousins, or friends, or even myself. Oscar’s biggest crime was standing up for himself and being at the wrong place at the wrong time and I think everybody has been there.
I rarely cry watching a movie. It’s even rarer that I have to hold back tears throughout the entire film. This is a movie I can be proud of and it sits next to Boyz n the Hood and Do the Right Thing. But aside from race, I think this will hit a note with everyone who watches it. There’s not a single person I wouldn’t recommend this movie to and Fruitvale Station is definitely one to seek out.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Anthony Stokes is a blogger and independent filmmaker.
Originally published July 31, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
