What makes this day special for Oscar is that it’s the birthday of his mother, Wanda (“The Help’s” Academy Award-winning Octavia Spencer in an especially strong performance), and he has to pick up the cake and the seafood for Grandma Bonnie’s gumbo that will be the highlight of the family celebration.Īs Oscar gets this done, stopping by Joe’s Market, where he used to work, to get the crabs, we get to see his warm side, the helpful way he puts Katie (Ahna O’Reilly), a customer who needs cooking advice, on the phone with Grandma Bonnie. In fact, though he and Sophina might catch the fireworks in San Francisco, he tells a friend it’s all going to be “nothing major, low key. Oscar has particular plans for this day, and not because it is New Year’s Eve. Oscar has been caught cheating, and though his regret and commitment to the relationship seem sincere, Sophina is finding it difficult to trust him and move on. 31 argument between Oscar and Sophina (a fine Melonie Diaz), his girlfriend and the mother of their 4-year-old daughter, Tatiana (Ariana Neal). “Fruitvale Station” begins almost exactly 24 hours before it ends, with an early morning Dec. Far from making the rest of “Fruitvale” anticlimactic, knowing as a viewer what no one on-screen knows grounds this film in an unmistakable way, giving it a sense of tragic inevitability that grows as the minutes tick away. The director made the wise decision to start “Fruitvale Station” with those viral phone videos, so we can see both how abrupt and shocking his death was and be under no illusions about how this film is going to end. PHOTOS: Oscar Grant subway shooting story on film Not only does Jordan have Grant’s distinctive smile but he also, Coogler said at Sundance, can convey the particular combination of “warmth and an edge” that makes us feel we are experiencing the man as he must have been. Coogler wrote the role of Grant, Osc to his friends, with the actor in mind. In this, Jordan - memorable as the conflicted young drug dealer Wallace in “The Wire” - is essential. What makes “Fruitvale” so effective is its determination to do justice to all aspects of Grant’s character, to resist the temptation to view him as anything other than the full, flawed human being we see on-screen. A natural storyteller, he has the ability to let narrative simply unfold, to bring us in on the inside of a life even while working under the constraints of a tight budget and a 20-day shooting schedule. Jordan.It’s Coogler’s empathetic talent to be alive to what is happening on-screen, to know how much weight to place on any given moment, and best of all, to understand that the difference between giving things their due (rather than overdoing it) is the key to dramatic impact. The 2013 awards season definitely has a contender in Fruitvale Station along with a soon-to-be Oscar nominated Michael B. Overall, this is a film with powerhouse performances that needs to be seen. It doesn't drag, it doesn't lack, it is a beautiful and moving portrayal of a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the decisions that he made to put him at Fruitvale Station on that fateful night. Running at just below an hour and a half, the film moves. Ryan Coogler directs the hell out of his actors and does a fantastic job keeping pace. If there was anyone else playing these roles, especially Jordan, I feel as if the film wouldn't pack as much of a punch. This is a film that has great performances and that keeps it above average on many levels. The film, as a whole, works but not for storytelling. He doesn't miss a single step and delivers a performance that has solidified him as a force to be reckoned with on screen. Jordan gives an electrifying performance as Oscar Grant. This film does not paint him as a saint nor does it paint him as a crook, it shows him as a human being with many flaws. Based on the true story of one of the most heart wrenching instances of police brutality in American history, Fruitvale Station humanizes Oscar Grant, a victim of senseless police violence and racial profiling.
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