Review of Fences (2016) by Hardy C — 09 Jan 2017

As I watched this film, there was something unique about it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I knew the film was adapted from the much respected play of the same name, with Denzel Washington reprising the role he played on Broadway.

It wasn't until the friend I saw it with said "I don't think we just watched a movie...I think we just watched a play" that I realized what I was feeling. Everything from how the story played itself out, how backstory was conveyed, how the flow of time in the film was portrayed and how scenes began and ended, how the actors entered scenes and interacted with each other and with the scenery around them and even how the film was shot evoked a theatrical sensibility that was hard to ignore and created a vibe entirely unique to the piece.

It honestly felt at times that the characters were waiting just off camera to walk into the scene and when they exited the shot, waited there until they were needed again. The immersive editing and post-production probably gets credit for that one.

On top of that, Washington and Davis were at the absolute top of their game, delivering performances so viscerally human that I often felt like an eavesdropper in these folks' lives. This is pure art in its most honest form and an absolute must-see.