Review of Fences (2016) by Spangle — 28 May 2017

Denzel Washington's Fences is undoubtedly a flawed work. With its screenplay written by the play's writer August Wilson, Fences is a film that is entirely connected to the stage. With dialogue heavy scene after dialogue heavy scene for two hours, Fences can be an exasperating film to watch with how much of it is relying upon nothing but words. For two plus hours, this is undeniably a major challenge and one that can prove too much at times. However, it is in those words that the beauty of Fences reveals itself. Brilliantly written with aching roots in reality, Fences is certainly a tremendously acted film, but the star here is August Wilson's writing. It is vibrant. It is raw. It is emotional. It is, above all else, real. The film's writing is what gives it fire in the first place and the what brings it triumphantly over the finish line. No matter where the film may slack, creak, or trip, the script is always there to pick it up and point it in the right direction.

While Wilson's eloquent use of language to have the characters express their emotion without having to come out and have the characters say exactly what they feel serving as terrific footing for the film, it is his ability to develop those characters that will stand the test of time. As a challenge for this, Wilson sets the film in 1950s Pittsburgh in the inner city and in the home of a garbage collector named Troy (Denzel Washington). With a wife named Rose (Viola Davis) and a son with her named Cory (Jovan Adepo), a son with another woman named Lyons (Russell Hornsby), a brother dealing with mental illness named Gabe (Mykelti Williamson), and a friend named Bono (Stephen Henderson), Troy's life is one of fear. At every turn, this big behemoth of a man is afraid. Projecting confidence and aggression to mask this fear, Troy compartmentalizes his fear into baseball references and elaborate stories of how he fights off death. Yet, underneath the surface, he is a man who knows he has already struck out and is nearing death. As he pushes away his son Cory and derails his dream of playing football, Troy also antagonizes Lyons, signs away Gabe to the state, and cheats on Rose. He is a man who is failing and struggling to stay afloat and to keep a roof over his family's heads, all while bearing the weight of that burden. He is a man who is so afraid that he will fail and be rejected by his family that he winds up crushing himself under the weight of it all and pushes away some of his family in the process. Of all the people in the world, Rose is the one who sees this. As Cory leaves and even Bono leaves, Rose stands by her philandering husband and even raises the daughter he has with another woman. Why? Because she sees him for what he truly is on the inside. No matter how abrasive he is and how aggressive of a person he can be, Troy is just scared and latching onto anything he can in order to not fall or to forget that he is falling. The thought of death, though he approaches it with great machismo, is something that scares him. He refuses to admit he did not go pro in baseball because of his age, instead blaming it on the whites. Why? Because that would require admitting he is old. When Cory challenges him, he only fights back when Cory calls him old. He is a man afraid of growing old and dying. Rose, for the the pain he has caused her, refuses to give upon this man. Instead, she opts to stand by him and hold his hand as he slowly and loudly slips out of this world. Though it would be easier to leave him to rot in the bed that he had made for himself, she loves that man that has become consumed by fear and refuses to let herself become consumed by that very same fear. Instead, she fights back and declares war on it in order to provide her husband with the strength he needs to fight back as well.

One of the greatest challenges undertaken by Fences is to make Troy likable. For the part of Rose, Viola Davis' brilliant and raw performance combines with Wilson's eloquent writing to make her the one we root for. When Cory takes on his father to defend his mother, we want him to kick his ass. Every time Troy lets down Rose, we want her to leave him and for Rose to kick his butt. Yet, she never does. This could make Rose seem to be quite the confounding character if Troy remains this detestable person that we cannot root for. On the surface, he is an angry, self-hating, narcissistic, and cruel man. He treats his sons like garbage and his wife even worse. His words are hollow and leave you longing for a better man to step into his place. So, how does Wilson make Troy a man you can root for, even with Denzel going full "You know what I'm talkin' 'bout **** Partially, it is because of Rose, but the rest is because of how he writes Troy. In his boasting and reminiscing, you can hear that tinge of emotion. Denzel does an excellent job bringing it to life, but the writing gives it the beating heart to open those lungs.