Fruitvale Station
Written By Al McGhee
Director/writer: Ryan Coogler
Actors in this film: Michael B. Jordan, Chad Michael Murray, Kevin Durand, Octavia Spencer, Ahna O’Reilly
While watching Fruitvale Station, I was reminded that I did not pay attention to the news of the real life story about Oscar Grant, who was killed by a transit agency police officer in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009. Because of my lack of being news worthy about a young Black man being killed by a white police officer, I did not know the whole story about Oscar Grant.
Director Ryan Coogler started the film, Fruitvale Station, with the actual shooting of Oscar Grant, caught on a cell phone video that was a true witness to the killing of Oscar Grant. Did this let the audience down because Ryan Coogler started from the end of the movie? This type of narrative or movie maneuver worked for this film. Ryan Coogler build up the suspense by letting actor Michael B. Jordan play Oscar Grant as a real person, a three-dimensional character. Fruitvale Station is about showing the last day in the life of Oscar Grant, showing his good and bad choices, and how Oscar lived his last hours on this planet.
Fruitvale Station showed how hard it was for Oscar Grant to be a saint in the city, and Oscar Grant was no saint. He has served time in prison. He has dealt drugs. He’s just lost his entry-level job at a supermarket because he couldn’t show up on time. He has a hair-trigger temper. He has broken his mother’s heart, played by Oscar winner Octavia Spencer. His girlfriend, played by Melonie Diaz, is heedful about making plans with him for their future.
Oscar is trying. He loves his mother, he loves his girlfriend, and (especially) he loves his little daughter Tatiana, played by Ariana Neal. Ariana Neal acting as his daughter, made the film very heart felt and emotional. She is the joy of his life, and he wants to be a better man, son, father and family man. He wants to be a better friend to his buddies, he wants to be a productive, law-abiding member of his community. This is why this film seems to fill many of the questions an audience member would have watching this piece of American life. Fruitvale Station is one of these films that made you wonder why am I watching this piece of American history? Why am I being entertained about the death of this Black man, someone I did not know or care about? Why?
I give this film four Palm Trees out of Four.