Review of Fences (2016) by Armando G — 19 Feb 2017

Fences has impressive credentials. It is based on the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner play by August Wilson, adapted for the screen by Wilson himself before his death in 2005 (Though one potentially dubious internet source claims that Wilson's adaptation was completed by Tony Kushner who received a producer credit instead of a writing credit). It stars Denzel Washington and Viola Davis who both won Tony Awards for their performances in a 2010 revival-the production itself won Best Revival-and it is directed by Washington himself. Now, Fences has earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and acting nominations for Washington and Davis. Viola Davis seems to be a lock for Supporting Actress, and Washington seems to have a good shot at snagging another Oscar.  .

Set in a working class black neighborhood in mid-1950's Pittsburgh, Fences is the story of an aging and bitter man, Troy Maxson (Washington), and his strained if not dysfunctional relationship with his sons and his wife, Rose (Viola Davis). To say that Troy thinks of himself as a working-class hero would be an understatement. Everything he does, whether at work or at home, is done out of sense of responsibility and obligation. Loving, or even liking, his own family doesn't enter in to it; Troy puts a roof over their heads and food on the table because that is what he is supposed to do. Shouldn't that be enough? Shouldn't his teenage son, Cory, forego school sports and potential recruitment by a college to help Troy build a fence in return? Or perhaps Troy is afraid of seeing his own failed professional sports aspirations realized by his son? There is a lot to observe and ponder and it is no wonder that Fences is assigned reading for certain college classes.

I haven't seen either of the films Denzel Washington has directed previously (2002's Antwone Fisher and 2007's The Great Debaters), but here his directorial style is simple and straightforward: let the performances carry the movie forward. This approach works, to a point. Fences, being based on a play, is dialogue heavy. There isn't much fence building or baseball playing, though both are important to the story; they are more important as metaphors. What is important is the performances which are very good indeed. Troy is a complex but not very likable character-no doubt this is what was intended by Wilson-and Washington excellently plays him as such. He has a comfort and ease for the rhythm of Wilson's dialogue. Conversations with Troy usually turn into monologues that his family and friends have heard before but tolerate. Viola Davis's Rose is a mostly reactionary character, but only because there is no other way to be with a character like Troy. She is the one who patches things up with Troy's sons and his mentally disabled brother, Gabe. Rose finally does get a big scene pouring out her feelings and frustrations which is delivered quite well by Davis.

I didn't mind the heavyhandedness of the fence metaphor. Troy's jovial and wiser than he lets on best friend, Bono, tells him that some people build fences to keep people out and some people build fences to keep people in. The film does not treat this as a revelation, but as a reminder to Troy that certain situations must be dealt with sooner rather than later.

As Fences spilled over two hours with scene after scene of shouting and yelling I grew listless. Even if you did not know that Fences is based on a play, it would not be difficult to make that guess. The characters feel confined to one or two locations. There are a few brief scenes at other locations but this film adaptation does not "open up" the play. This is inescapable in a play, but in a film without a distinct visual style or lively dialogue or performances it feels constricting. This is a film of big, serious performances and big, serious speeches but it doesn't add up to much aside from being a showcase of top notch actors at the top of their game.