The Oscar Grant shooting happened when I was a junior in High School. I was 16. I was in the throws of my first relationship. And I considered myself to be an intelligent and well-informed being. I'm a skeptic by nature, and when the news of the shooting first broke out; when everyone called "racism" and "police brutality", I shrugged it off all too quickly. I decided to essentially ignore it. The shooting didn't affect me and I did not see the point in getting my feathers ruffled about something that couldn't be changed. I thought this was a righteous and just way of thinking. I have had mixed, albeit passive feelings about the way the shooting and the ensuing trial went down ever since. That is, at least until I saw Fruitvale Station.
When I first heard that they were making a movie about Oscar Grant, I admittedly rolled my eyes. Surely there must be more interesting stories to make a film about than the tale of one man who was accidentally shot in the back while allegedly resisting arrest. I figured the movie would be overly sentimental, manipulative, and biased. Dramatizing the story of a young impoverished black man who was JUUUUUUST beginning to turn his life around, before we was murdered by a racist, tigger-happy transit cop. After reading the first reviews of Fruitvale Station, I began to suspect that my preconceptions about the film's content were wrong. Now that I've seen it, I have learned that I WAS wrong. Both about the film and the incident itself.
But enough platitudes. Let's talk about the movie.
Fruitvale Station is one of the most powerful movies I have seen in a long time, and what makes it all the more powerful and impressive is how effortless it all seems; In almost every category.
The movie's plot is simple. A chronicle of the last day in the life of Oscar, a recently released felon who struggles to support his girlfriend and his very young daughter amidst the temptations and familiarity of drug dealing, and in the end has his life tragically cut short at the hands of law enforcement.
The "true story" angle can potentially eliminate some of the drama in some films. In other words, knowing the ending of a movie before you even see it can make it less compelling. Nothing can be further from the truth when it comes to Fruitvale Station. The director, Ryan Coogler, instead of framing the story as a martyr's tale or filling it with senseless foreshadowing and death omens, captures Oscar's day as if it were any man's day. There are moments of tension, as well as levity, and boredom. The movie is much more interested in portraying Oscar as a man, a father, and a friend; as opposed to a martyr or a symbol for something greater than himself. Because he is flawed, like all men. He is dishonest, quick-tempered, and immature, but he is also friendly, benevolent, and an altogether nice guy. He is not placed on some sort of pedestal to be an example to all young men, but rather someone you'd hang out with, one of your friends. And it is that relatability that makes the movie so gut-wrenching. That this could have happened to someone you know. And it might already have.
Michael B. Jordan plays Oscar and does one hell of a job. All of the actors do in fact. Octavia Spencer's portrayal of a loving mother who has just begun to forgive her son for his misdeeds is truly great. She is effective without being brash or overly emotional. The real standout, in my opinion ; Even more than Jordan. Is Melonie Diaz, who I haven't seen or heard about since she was in Be Kind Rewind back in 2008. She plays Oscar's girlfriend and the mother of his child, Sophina. She really is the emotional center of the film. Sophina is very obviously head over heels for Oscar, but motherhood has made her quick to hold Oscar responsible for his selfish actions. Diaz plays hot and cold to different intensities throughout every scene she is in, and has a gracefulness and confidence, both as a character and an actress that is extremely compelling.
The only thing that irked me about the movie, and this is pretty nitpicky, but this is a review after all, is that for a movie that brings us such interesting and well-rounded characters. The police officers responsible for what took place on the train platform that night, are very cookie-cutter. It has nothing to do with the performances. Kevin Durand and Chad Michael Murray (Yes, THAT Chad Michael Murray) are both fine, but they only exist to fulfill their purpose as the villains and nothing more. I wish we could have gotten a little more insight as to how their actions affected them or what caused them to initiate the confrontation between themselves and Oscar and his friends. IT just all felt a little hurried. There is probably a reason for this. THe movie is OScar's story after all, but still, would have been a nice little extra oomph.
The movie takes a political backseat and lets you decipher how to feel about the circumstances behind the shooting. For me, this was a key piece to why I found it so striking. And led me to some regret towards my feelings towards the real-life events. The fact is, whether or not you think that cops are heroes or pigs, whether or not you think race was a key motivating factor in the shooting, whether or not you think Johannes Mesehrle deserved a life sentence or was justly sentenced: At the end of the day, Oscar Grant was an unarmed man who was shot in the back and killed. He didn't deserve that. No one deserves that. And it was that fact alone that outraged me as I left the theatre. True outrage. Maybe the movie was indeed that powerful to evoke such a strong emotional response from a curmudgeonly cynic like me. Maybe it was over-compensation for the four years of apathy catching up with me. Either way, the movie changed me. It was a small change. But a change nonetheless. Not that many films have that power. And this one does. It seems that this movie's power will not go unnoticed. And that gives me hope.
9.5/10
(One More Thing....)- I saw this movie on $5 movie day in Jack London Square in Oakland. It's a great bargain, but you usually have to put up with babies crying, snoring of incontinent seniors, and groups of teens chatting to each other and on their cell phones. It's infuriating, but then again, it is a five dollar movie ticket. There is a moment in the film, near the end, that serves as a reflective montage of sorts. Played out in silence and lasting for about 2-3 minutes. During this time, an old black woman two rows behind me started singing some old spiritual tune, quietly but audibly, "Oh Jesus, He didn't do nothing wrong", over and over and over again. I don't know if she made it up or if it is in fact a real song. In any other instance, this would have upset and annoyed me greatly. But in this case, it seemed right. I don't know why she did it, but I am glad she did. It is another testament to the weight that this film has. This woman wasn't crazy. She was hurt. Hurt by what she saw. And rather than cry, she chose to sing. I don't think I, or anyone else in that theatre will get to experience anything like that again. A raw human moment expressed in such a way, in a crowded movie theater. It might have bothered some people, but it was a welcome interruption for my experience, as it called on me to reflect, almost religiously, on the events that were unfolding in front of me on the screen, and ultimately informed what I took from the film. Call it bravery, or call it rudeness. It was ten times better than a cell phone ring.
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