When a film uses the hook "Based on a True Story," it is more often than not a marketing ploy, where the resulting fictional film is true-to-life in broad strokes only. With Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station, however, that little blurb is the film's greatest asset. This would not be the powerful, brutally affecting piece of filmmaking that it is without that useful knowledge. The basic tragedy inherent in this kind of story; that of a young man gunned down far, far before his time, is enough to involve anyone, but the fact that this actually happened and happens far too often adds a layer of poignancy that no one viewing this movie will be able to shake. Fruitvale Station goes beyond a narrative and becomes a teaching tool. It calls on viewers to reflect upon the darker side of human nature, the fragility of life itself, and whether such tragedies can be avoided at all.
To call the timing of this movie's release eerie is to drastically understate the matter. At a time when the verdict of the recent Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman trial has left everyone with a strong opinion of some sort, this movie's depiction of the final day in the life of 22-year-old Oakland, CA native Oscar Grant III will be almost unbearable for some. But I call it required viewing. Coogler has accomplished the truly remarkable not only in creating a three-dimensional character with so little scope and running time, but in spreading the criticism around and therefore becoming apolitical. In just 90 minutes (with credits), Fruitvale Station enriches in ways that some movies double the length can't accomplish. In addition to its many layers and strengths, it's also a masterpiece of economy.
Fruitvale Station opens with a real-life video from a cell phone camera in the wee hours of January 1, 2009 depicting the detainment of Oscar Grant III and his friends by BART police, who responded to a fight on a train which Oscar did not initiate. In the ensuing struggle, a gun goes off and the screen cuts to black. Rewinding one day, we're introduced to Oscar (Michael B. Jordan), and we learn that while he has struggled to remain faithful to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz), he's always a supportive father to his four-year-old daughter, Tatiana (Ariana Neal). As the film progresses, we learn bits and pieces about this young man's life, including his one-time prison stint for drug dealing. His relationship with his mother Wanda (Octavia Spencer) is also strong. But on New Year's Eve, when he wants to go out and party with some friends to ring in 2009, he takes his mother's advice to take the train instead of drive. A man confronts Oscar, a fight erupts, and police respond, bringing events full circle.
Before the events of the fateful night at the titular train station, Fruitvale Station puts Oscar under the microscope, examining his strengths and weaknesses for all the world to see. One criticism some people level against left-leaning pundits after a tragedy like this is that they too often paint the victim as angelic. Not so here. Coogler peels back the curtain and lets us see Oscar's many character flaws for what they are. In addition to serving time in jail (albeit not for a violent crime), he's cheated on his girlfriend, lost his job for continued lateness, and displays a charitably limited vocabulary. Nevertheless, there are enough likable qualities about the man to root for him, chief of which are rooted in the supportive, gentle way he treats Tatiana. It's been said that many new fathers who grow up without a father figure in their lives want nothing more than to create a better future for their own offspring, and that unquestionably motivates Oscar. Sadly, his journey toward fulfilling that promise was cut short.
For lead actor Michael B. Jordan, this is a triumph of the highest order. This is not an easy role; he is required to be thoughtful and courteous one moment and explosive and boorish in the next, sometimes in the same scene. Take, for example, the scene in the supermarket where he helps a stranger pick out the best fish for a cookout and then confronts his former boss in a way that will have anyone rolling his/her eyes. Fruitvale Station is filled with moments like that, where positive and negative character traits war with one another in mere minutes. Had Jordan struck a single wrong note, the film's carefully constructed attempts at realism would've come crashing down. Instead, he nails it. An Oscar nomination at minimum awaits.
None of the supporting players are given the layer of depth accorded to Oscar, although Melonie Diaz and Octavia Spencer manufacture some with their high level of acting. Spencer is much less fiery than in her Oscar-winning role for The Help, but she's no less impressive. And young Ariana Neal, in her debut performance, is entirely natural, recalling Quvenzhane Wallis's eye-opening work in Beasts of the Southern Wild. And as for Coogler, he's a star in his own right with his direction. Handheld camera shots, if overused, can quickly make a viewer nauseous, but Coogler sidesteps that trap. His style, which includes long, unbroken takes, enhances the movie's "documentary" feel. And much like in another standout 2013 movie (Henry Alex Rubin's Disconnect), on-screen text-message captions are cleverly utilized.
But ultimately, any discussion of Fruitvale Station boils down to the movie's climax. In his handling of the sudden fight, the tussle with police, the reaction of bystanders, and the inevitable outpouring of grief, Coogler elevates Fruitvale Station into unforgettable territory. It's easy to demonize the police, who are certainly guilty of racial profiling, but mention must be made of how many bystanders witnessed the fight and did nothing but stand by, filming the incident with their camera phones. Even the young woman who Oscar unconditionally assisted in the supermarket earlier is filming and not acting. Are we as everyday citizens every bit as guilty for playing amateur reporters instead of helping our fellow human beings in need? It's a point I didn't expect Coogler to raise, but I'm grateful he did.
Fruitvale Station is a devastating film. It's the kind of movie that will leave audiences taken aback, unwilling to leave their seats until the credits have finished rolling, hence the Audience Award it received at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The entire movie has a profound effect; even during scenes of comic relief and warmth, the knowledge of the main character's untimely death overshadows everything. One watches this movie feeling like a reluctant voyeur, unable to turn away yet unable to act. We know what will happen, so we spend the movie wondering how and why this could happen. By the time the film delivers the expected emotional gut-punch, all we're left with is a nagging question: why do we assume the worst of human beings, as three-dimensional as they are, and how can we avoid contributing to the unnecessary loss of life? The final scene, where Tatiana asks Sophina a simple question and neither she nor the viewer receive an answer, encapsulates this feeling.
I enjoy many fun movies crafted strictly for entertainment purposes, but when an honest, truthful film like Fruitvale Station, which acts not only as an American tragedy of Shakespearean proportions but as a wake-up-call, reaches the screen, cheerleading it becomes a must. At a mere 27 years old, Ryan Coogler has crafted a stunning debut, ensured himself a wonderful future in the business, and delivered one of the best movies of 2013.
Rating: **** (out of ****)
You've officially made me want to go see this movie. Great review!
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