Dir. Ryan Coogler
Cast: Michael B. Jordan (Oscar Grant), Octavia Spencer (Wanda Johnson), Melonie Diaz (Sophina Mesa)
Significant Productions, 2013
This is one of the more recent non documentary films to accurately capture the black man's plight on the big screen. The film shows us the final hours in the life of Oscar Grant, a twenty-two year old who was killed in the dawn hours of new years day 2009. Seeing that the events of the the movie are based on a true story, I would actually say this film largely made itself, leaving director Ryan Coogler with little to actually add for it to become a great film. Even with that being said, the events that he did add, or recreate, actually made the film even better. He used the first 30 or so minutes of the film to depict the backstory of Oscar grant, some of which may not be entirely true but adds significantly in making the film that much more relatable to some viewers, and creating sympathy in others. Another aspect of the film I enjoyed was it's visual accuracy. I don't want to read into this too much, but I enjoyed how the clothing, lingo, and technology of the film was consistent with what Grant's world would've been like in 2009. Lastly, the most important part of this film is the emotion it extracts from the viewer. As a relatively calm person, watching this film actually extracted a certain anger from me that many "controversial" films don't cause me to manifest. Again, I won't give Coogler or screenwriters too much credit for this seeing that the events that made me react this way weren't a product of their own creativity, but nonetheless, I think it is all delivered in a way that serves justice to the tragedy that is the story of Oscar Grant.
The backstory of Grant includes being a drug dealer, getting incarcerated, having a daughter and not being able to keep a legitimate job. In a way all this reminds me of the story told by J.Cole on his song "4 your eyes only" because it depicts the same type of struggle that comes with living in poverty and having a child to take care of. This struggle although sad isn't very unique, and because of this it makes the film relatable. In a nation that incarcerates more people than anywhere else in the world, there is no shortage of people that can relate to this part of the film. For those who can't relate, seeing how much Grant struggles to be a "good guy" for the sake of his daughter can still draw emotion from those who haven't had the same experiences as grant.
The film also does its best to be void of any anachronisms, as every historical film should, but beynd this I just find pleasure in how good of a job is actually done. For a film that is made in 2013 I would actually be convinced if you told me it was a film made in 2009 or earlier. The beat up cars from early 2000's, the talk of a Saints/Colts superbowl, the motorolla flip phones, and the baggy dull clothes gives this film just the perfect touch to seem more like a documentary than a docu-film. When compared to the actual footage of grants murder in 2009, the films re-creation is flawless. As far as the actual footage of the situation the film is based on, it is masterfully placed in the beginning and end of the film making everything come together like a good essay.
This is truly an outstanding film, but I try to be cautious as to whether or not the film is outstanding because of the how well it is put together or simply because it covers such an interesting situation. I would be lying if I said the film didn't have any dull moments, as a matter of fact there is an abundance of dull scenes in the film, not just in terms of images, but actual conversations and individual moments like Oscar waiting on his girlfriend to use the bathroom where quite boring. This isn't a film with any music or real soundtrack, not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but it might not have hurt to have more scene-fitting tunes in the film. Also, the film ends pretty abruptly. Again, this could be seen as both a good thing and a bad thing because you are left on the edge with a lot of emotion by the final scene, but at the same time you feel unsatisfied with emotions such as rage. A lot of the film focuses on Oscars relationship with his daughter, and if the film took the time to build background on that relationship, it certainly could've devoted another twenty minutes that could've still left viewers full of emotion, but feeling more satisfied knowing the fate of Oscars daughter and family immediately after his death. This might be just "a me thing", so speaking more generally of the film I would give it a solid 6.8/10. The sentiment is very powerful, and in terms of directing, there is a lot of things done right, but I know subconsciously this film isn't anything special. Given that the film practically created itself, I would say the final product is something almost anyone could've come up with.
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