William Oliver
Fruitvale Station is a biographical drama starring Michael B. Jordan as Oscar Grant, Octavia Spencer as Wanda Grant, and Melonie Diaz and Sophina. Directed by Ryan Coogler, who also worked with Michael B. Jordan on Creed, Fruitvale Station is a dramatization of Oscar Grant's last day before he was shot and killed by a BART police officer after an altercation on the train going back home.
The film is emotionally draining, and this is intentional. The movie focuses heavily on Oscar Grant and through only the span of one day (movie time) and a few flashbacks, Coogler manages to develop his character to find a place in your heart. You see Grant as a man who has made mistakes in the past, but is trying to pull his life together for him and his girlfriend and daughter. Oscar is someone you want to get behind and root for everything to work out for them. However, his past catches up to him on the train when he spots a rival gang member and they begin to have a fist fight. This results in the train being stopped at Fruitvale Station. BART police then came to the scene and pulled Oscar and all of his friends off of the train and begin harassing them,verbally and physically. The situation escalates and one of the officers throws Oscar onto the ground and shouts at him to turn over, which he can't because another officer is holding his hand on his neck and chest. Throughout the chaos one of the officers pulls out a gun and shoots Oscar in the back. Oscar later dies at the hospital.
This film shows an ugly snapshot of America. Police brutality is a serious issue that disproportionately affects African-American males. This movie shines a spotlight on this issue in a very real, blunt manner, which is needed for the conversation to move forward. Fruitvale Station was excellent every aspect, as it was not only a captivating film, it was also a film that made a statement on a critical issue in America.
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