Review of Fruitvale Station (2013) by Sean C — 18 Jan 2014

This is an incredible movie with some incredibly powerful storytelling and some tremendous acting from its cast, particularly Octavia Spencer and, obviously, Michael B. Jordan. This is a movie that will definitely stick with for a long time and cause you to question whether the system we have in place, put in place to protect people like Oscar, is effective in handing out justice when obvious cases of use of excessive force are present.

Oscar is a person who has already been subdued, he's handcuffed and he's on his stomach, yet one of the cops clearly puts his knee on the back and he's told, by another cop, to roll over. When Oscar doesn't listen to the cop's order, because he CAN'T do anything about the cop with the knee pressed up against his head, he shoots him.

I don't give a shit if the cop mistook the gun for his taser, it's still use of excessive force when you've already subdued the guy, there's no need to tase him when he's no longer a threat to you.

Again, these people are there to serve out justice, not to abuse that power. The system failed Oscar that day, and it also failed his family and friends when the cop got sentenced to 2 years and only served 11 months.

The punishment does not fit the crime and, unfortunately, it's a system that will protect the criminals in this case rather than the rights of the victim. But I digress, if there's something about this film that really stands out is that inevitability of what is going to happen at the end of the night.

The film tells Oscar's story as he's trying to turn over a new leaf and make a positive change in his life, trying to do right by his mother, his girlfriend and his daughter. Yet, no matter how much progress Oscar actually makes and how things really do seem to be looking up in his life, you can't escape the fact that his life was going to end that same day.

You can't shake that feeling, no matter what happens. And that makes watching particularly bittersweet because, while Oscar wasn't perfect, the way he's presented in the movie, is that he was a kid with a good heart who was willing to do anything for his family and a very dedicated father who would've done anything for his daughter.

I don't know how much of this is based on the actual person and how much is dramatized. I'm sure a lot of it is dramatized, but I'm also sure that a lot was borrowed from real-life descriptions of Oscar from his friends and family.

The point is, that it is a dramatically effective way to tell a story. It makes the eventuality of what is to happen far more powerful and resonant and it's not done in a way that feels manipulative or exploitative.

The acting, as mentioned is absolutely top-notch. Michael B. Jordan has a strength and presence that will make following his career a joy to watch and seeing how he grows and matures as an actor, even though he's already showed great maturity with this role.

Octavia Spencer is just outstanding here as this mother who wants to see her son make the right choices in his life for his daughter, she's willing to cut all ties with him, even if it hurts her to do so, at least while he was in prison, until he makes the necessary changes in his life.

And when the climax happens, she could've easily gone into hysterics and overacting to sell her devastation. But she doesn't, she handles it with grace and respect and that makes her performance all the more heartbreaking, especially considering she was the one, in the film at least, that suggested that Oscar take the train instead of driving to where they were going to.

As much as I loved Michael B. Jordan, and he deserves a lot of praise for his incredibly mature performance, Octavia Spencer's was, by far, my favorite performance in this film. It was understated and subtle, just what it had to be in order to be emotionally resonant.

This is a great movie, all around. It's definitely one that will create a lot of debate, and rightfully so, and I think it's a film that DESERVES to be seen by as many people as possible.