Review of Fruitvale Station (2013) by Jordan A — 09 Jan 2014

"Fruitvale Station", Ryan Coogler's debut feature film, and the indie darling of various film festivals, winning Best First Film from the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and the highest honor, the Grand Jury Prize, from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, is simply one of the most important films ever created. Produced by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker, the film centers on the last 24 hours of Oscar Grant's life. What I found very unique and daring about this film is that it essentially showed you the ending in the beginning. Throughout the whole movie, you know Oscar Grant's fate, but you're still shocked, scared, and moved by the events shown on the screen anyway, and that's one of the biggest things "Fruitvale Station" has going for it.

Michael B. Jordan (Friday Night Lights, Chronicle) stars as Oscar Grant III, a 22 year old struggling to survive in the Bay Area. Supporting actors and actresses include Melonie Diaz as Sophina Mesa, Oscar's girlfriend, and Octavia Spencer as Wanda Johnson, Oscar's mother. Michael B. Jordan gives the performance of his career here, showing signs of a young Denzel Washington, being able to command every scene with both toughness and calmness. Melonie Diaz and Octavia Spencer give very powerful performances, which are showcased near the end of the film.

"Fruitvale Station" stands as a testament to those wronged by police corruption and brutality. I realize the film is probably more than a little biased in it's portrayal of the events, but even after reading about the events that transpired that fateful New Year's Day in 2009, and the subsequent trial that followed, it infuriates me to see how such a serious offense and wrongdoing was able to be argued away by some lawyer. Riots and protests followed after Oscar's death, resulting in the firing of the police officers involved in his death, as well as the chief and manager of the SFPD. Oscar Grant deserved to live a life far longer than he did, and because of bureaucratic bullshit, no one paid the price of taking his life. 11 months served in a penitentiary is simply not enough to reconcile for Oscar's death. This film is extremely powerful as you can see, and I urge everyone to see it and be exposed to what Rodney King went through decades ago, and what people are still struggling with today.