(Written and Directed by Ryan Coogler)
Tragedies are found in even the darkest of places. Any young soul’s death is tragic, even if justified. Yet, at what point do we say, “He/she chose that life,” or, “This could have been avoided?” Ryan Coogler, Oakland native, tries to portray the line between good and bad, thug and hero, as thinly as possible. Oscar Grant is no saint, and Ryan Coogler doesn’t shy behind this fact at all. Some viewers of this film have said that Oscar is painted unfairly in order to manipulate the audience. I can say with confidence that this is not the case. Oscar is a cheating ex-convict drug dealer who is trying to get his, as well as his family’s, life back on track. With the responsibility of paying for rent and his daughter’s education without a job, Oscar finds this task much harder than he thought.
The film opens with live footage of the shooting that tragically killed an unarmed Oscar Grant at Fruitvale station. Giving away the climax to a true story usually doesn’t help or hurt a film, but it worked for this one. Without the audience knowing that this is a story about the last day of Oscar’s life could have jeopardized some emotional moments throughout the film. As stated before, many have labeled this film “manipulative”. Releasing a movie about an unarmed, young black man being killed just around the time of the Trayvon Martin case, it’s certainly tempting to say that this is nothing but manipulation. However, not a single scene of this film felt forced.Some have pointed to the dog scene, but I think I was too distracted by Michael B. Jordan’s performance to notice.
The absolute heart of this film, though, lies in the hands of the young and talented Michael B. Jordan, who portrays Oscar Grant on the last day of his life. I’m tempted to make some sort of joke about Michael B. Jordan acting the same way Michael Jordan played, but I’ll spare you. Without a doubt, MBJ deserves every single accolade he receives for this performance, because God knows he’s getting some. Jordan gives every ounce of honesty, sensitivity, and emotion he has to this performance and it shows. If anyone else had played Oscar, this whole film may have been a waste; he owns the role. And, if MBJ isn’t enough for you, we are blessed with two beautiful supporting performances from Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz.Â
The message of the film will be lost on the ignorant who will view this as no more than a white vs. black movie, but I refuse to let race blind me to what Ryan Coogler has given us: an honest film about the inescapable “thug life”. Coogler does not paint it as a party, as modern culture does, but rather as a revolving door. Oscar tries his hardest to get on his feet, but all of his surroundings put him right back where he started by the end of the night. So many important themes run through, such as family and ethics, but nothing rings louder to me than the cry for help Coogler gives to all of those in need of help. Sooner or later, every thug finds his Fruitvale Station. [A]
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