Fruitvale Station hit blu-ray and DVD on January 14th from The Weinstein Company
I had already forgotten about Oscar Grant, and never really knew his name anyway. Sadly, I had moved on. I vaguely remembered another sad story of yet another young black male being killed under the custody of the police. Something about a train station, somewhere out West. But memories of the news story faded away, new tragedies filling the airspace Oscar’s tragic story once occupied. I’ve since been able to pat myself on the back for a multitude of other news stories making me sad and giving me reasons to be grateful for my relative safety and well-being.
Fruitvale Station disrupts that eternal cycle.
Yes, I know one day soon I’ll even move on from this story again, having been deeply impacted by a powerful film, but having the luxury of no real personal connection to Oscar or his family to keep me in a place of remembrance. But I’m not totally ready to move on yet, and I’m thankful to filmmaker Ryan Coogler for writing and directing this film; a living monument to a 22 year old man whose tragic death makes it much less likely that he’ll be entirely forgotten.
The triumph of Fruitvale Station is how brimming with life it is. Cold-opening with real-life cell phone footage of the San Francisco BART shooting which left Oscar dead (while hand-cuffed and lying face first on the ground) at the hands of a police officer, the spectre of death presides over the entire film. But Coogler’s screenplay and Michael B. Jordan’s next-level performance as Grant break the film away from any hint of being a one-note tragedy. I was surprised how much I laughed, smiled, and felt a real sense of family and community as we follow Oscar Grant through the final day of his life on this earth.
It would be tempting to canonize Oscar Grant into sainthood. He has become a bit of a martyr… a symbol for the African-American community to rally around in the (righteous) quest to end racial profiling. But saints are boring film subjects, and Oscar’s memory is far better served by telling his story in a realistic way. Mind you, I don’t know how much was embellished for this film. But in a sense it doesn’t matter. Fruitvale Station portrays a lived-in San Francisco, and a day-to-day struggle for Grant which feels authentic on every level.
While Oscar seems to be an incredibly loving father to his young daughter Tatiana (Ariana Neal), with whom he plays, races, and wrestles; he has many faults as well. Having already spent time in prison, we see him wrestling with a decision of whether or not to get back into the drug trade after losing his job at a grocery store (the loss of which he hides from his mother [Octavia Spencer] and his girlfriend [Melonie Diaz]). Oscar seems to be on the verge of either a relapse into his old ways, or committing to the life of a family man. Grant was killed in the late night hours of New Year’s Eve, so the film has the added impact of a visual struggle with some kind of internal New Year’s Resolution on Grant’s part. And as a testament to the engaging nature of the film, I was routinely engrossed enough in Oscar’s life and the choices he was making, that I was able to forget about his death-just-around-the-corner.
The film isn’t perfect. It is an impressive debut from Coogler, who was hand-picked by producers Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi to tell this story; but there are marks of a first-time director. Sometimes there are moments of flat performance, though mainly amongst some of the peripheral characters. There are some shots that linger on awkwardly and just don’t feel assembled or edited quite right. Minor quibbles, to be sure, but flaws that probably keep this movie from being a “best of the year” candidate and relegate it simply to “impressive debut” or “great little movie” status.
Outside of Jordan’s anchoring performance as Grant, Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer (The Help) adds considerable gravitas as Oscar’s mother Wanda. And while actress Melonie Diaz mostly holds her own against these strong talents, she is clearly the weakest link amongst the principal cast. The film surprisingly follows both of these women into the hours after Grant’s shooting and concludes with each of them dealing with their pain in powerfully-communicated ways. I was surprised at how much “movie” was left even after Oscar had passed away. But this is yet another smart move on Coogler’s part, showing how Oscar begins to live on through the lives of his family. There are no tidy resolutions. There is no sense of healing or justice for Wanda or Sophina (Diaz), but in the movies at least, they get some time to mourn on screen and carry the story forward in the wake of Grant’s loss.
This isn’t the kind of film that can really be “spoiled”. Grant’s death is a matter of historical record, and the film never hints at any other outcome. But either way this is the kind of film that must be seen to be believed. It could be a testament to actor Michael B. Jordan’s boundless charisma, but Fruitvale Station will make you fall in love with Oscar Grant, warts and all. And it’ll make you feel like his loss means something. Like perhaps he was more than just another statistic or cautionary tale. Like perhaps he was a human being, flawed and complicated, who deserved his shot at making a life for himself.
The Package
I wasn’t watching Fruitvale Station for the crisp, high definition experience. I became engrossed in the story quickly, and the bells and whistles of Blu-ray faded far into the background. I can tell you that Coogler adopted a very hand-held, documentary-style approach to telling the story, and that this created an authenticity and an urgency that was palpable. From script to screen, Fruitvale Station is the real deal. A powerful tale of a tragedy that simultaneously celebrates life and urges us to think about the injustices that racial profiling perpetrates on real people every day. There is a good chance you’ll be just as engrossed in this film as I was, and although the story telling style is key to the end product, you won’t give a damn whether this is in high definition or not.
Bonus Features
Fruitvale Station: The Story Of Oscar Grant — A solid featurette that offers actor and filmmaker takes on the Oscar Grant story. I was impacted to hear Michael B. Jordan say that the bullet hole in the floor of the BART station where Grant was shot has not been removed, and that they filmed the climactic scene of the film right inside the actual station, and right on top of the bullet hole. The active participation of the BART system is a pretty powerful testament to their sorrow over Grant’s loss and their willingness to let this tragic tale be told authentically.
Q&A With Cast & Filmmakers — A fairly routine Q&A after, I believe, the film’s big premiere at Sundance 2013, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award from Dramatic Film.
The bonus features are somewhat minimal, but some powerful insight can be found in them. Fruitvale Station is an excellent film that shouldn’t be missed. The blu-ray doesn’t stand out as any kind of unique release, but the film is a potent and beautiful chronicle of a grave injustice perpetrated against a flawed man filled with potential. I’ll do my damnedest to never forget the name of Oscar Grant again.
And I’m Out.