Fruitvale Station: Raw, Honest, Award-Winner

Films about racial profiling walk a fine line, especially when they’re based on true events. Teetering on being preachy or uncomfortably sentimental, they can sometimes leave audiences feeling manipulated or, worse, annoyed.  At Sundance 2013, there was endless buzz about a small film called Fruitvale. It was based on the real life shooting of a young man at a Bay Area BART station in 2008. When it won the Grandy Jury Prize and the Audience Award, it was hard not to give the film a second look. Perhaps it wasn’t your typical profiling tale.

Since Sundance, writer and director Ryan Coogler’s debut film, now Fruitvale Station, has found a home with the Weinstein Company, won the Cannes Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize and also gained a coveted wide release date. But is it worthy of all the recognition? Absolutely. Coogler has managed to let us in to the life of his broken hero Oscar, connecting us so intimately that when he does meet his fate, we feel a sadness incredibly similar to those of his closest loved ones.

Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. After recently being released from prison, he’s returned home to try and re-build his life with girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz) and their daughter Tatiana (Ariana Neal). He’s out of a job and tempted to get back into dealing drugs. His mother Wanda (Octavia Spencer) has constantly been Oscar’s rock, but it’s clear she’s ready to see her son stand on his own two feet. But it’s easier said that done when many of the young Bay Area residents befall the vicious cycle of unemployment and crime.

On New Years Eve, Oscar and Sophina decide to take time to celebrate, leaving their daughter with the family. Wanda encourages Oscar to take the train; that it will prove much safer. Only hours later will she forever regret convincing him to take alternative transportation.

The events that night in 2008 shook the community. Coogler himself admits to being affected by the event and wondering if he had been in Oscar’s place. This is the very thought that gives the film such a strong foundation. What if that were me? What if that were my friend, my son, my dad?

The way Coogler constructs the script is detailed, yet delicate. We first meet Oscar and Sophina in bed. The scene is simple, but immediately we see their carefree youth clashing with adult responsibility, most clearly their daughter Tatiana. Oscar puts his family first and those bonds prove to be what’s kept him from flying off the deep end. Each relationship is carefully calculated. A scene in prison with his mother shows us their complexity. As all mothers experience, there’s a time to hold your son’s hand and a time to walk away, however painful it may be. Even Oscar’s friendships are given depth. His co-worker at the grocery store, a random woman he helps pick out fish to fry, his grandmother who helps the woman with her recipe-Oscars’ not a bad guy. If anyone were to say Fruitvale Station falls short, it would be in Oscar’s lack of flaws.

But the cast helps to fill in whatever perhaps the script did not. Michael B. Jordan proves himself as a potential Oscar nominee and certainly a new leading man. He delves completely into the culture of Oscar’s world, disappearing in his portrayal, keeping us both charmed and also frustrated. It is there that his performance finds its strength, for often our closest family and friends we both love and loathe when we can’t. Diaz has finally been granted a role she deserves. After being in the indie scene for over 10 years, she delivers a Sophina that’s vulnerable and strong. And then there’s Octavia Spencer who has already proven her skill many times. This film continues to support that she’s one of the bravest actresses in the biz.

If this is Coogler’s first go-around, his future looks more than promising. He’s a skilled writer, draws incredible performances as a director and delivers an emotional audience payoff that’s never preachy or forced. He’s also an artist who acknowledges that there’s nothing wrong with making a film about what you know.  Many of the characters and much of the culture come from a personal place in Coogler, exactly what makes the film so honest and endearing.