One event, decision, conversation, or person can change a life permanently. This theme permeates the tragic "Fruitvale Station," the Sundance grand jury prize-winning film by Ryan Coogler.
Coogler's directorial debut tells the story of Oscar (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year old living out the final day of his life. The film starts off with real life footage taken on a cell phone of the eventful day that would end the character's life before jumping back to the previous morning where Oscar is having a fight with his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz). The opening sequences serve to introduce Oscar as a man without a sense of direction. He has a family to maintain, but he has lost his job at a local supermarket. He has subsisted on dealing drugs, but does not want to head back to jail and leave behind his family. He decides that he will change his life forever and disposes of the drugs. From there, the film follows Oscar's interactions with his friends and family before meeting his fate unexpectedly.
Coogler's aim is clearly to emphasize ever single moment in Oscar's day and invoke it with meaning; nothing gets taken for granted. Oscar texts his mother in the opening scene; the screen includes an animation of the phone screen and shows the viewer the message he is sending. At another point, Oscar helps out a stranger in the super market. The scene is extended and Coogler chooses to utilize the close-up to emphasize the fact that this person, while a stranger, is an important part of Oscar's experience that day. During a latter scene, another stranger starts a party on a train. Even though he does not utter a single line of dialogue and barely alters the course of the narrative, Coogler still chooses to place great visual emphasis on him. In another scene, Oscar races with his daughter Tatiana; Coogler slows down the frame rate to emphasize the joy of the two characters and invites the viewer to embrace the beauty of the moment. Perhaps the most powerful scene of the entire movie relates Oscar's reaction to a dog's death. The moment's shock factor foreshadows the film's grim climax.
The climax presents the greatest problems as it is built on so many coincidences that it almost feels unrealistic and even contradicts the raw power of the remainder of the film. The big moment surely follows through with the theme of every person or action having an impact on the final outcome, but its arrival feels a bit convenient in its plotting. Moreover, the final moments of the film feel a tad manipulative as Coogler uses every trick in the book to pull on the viewer's heartstrings. A group of people sit around praying in one scene; in another a character manifests her guilt for an action she made.
This minor fault does not take anything away from the impeccable performances on display. Michael B. Jordan is an ideal everyman. He aspires to improving himself despite his flaws and his past traumas. He is also an adoring father and despite his financial troubles and murky future, he has a nonchalant attitude about him. Any signs of weakness or despair are aptly hidden behind his cool demeanor. Diaz provides a solid counterpoint. While Jordan is relaxed, Diaz's face explodes with emotion. Even when she is saying nothing, it is clear that she wants to vent something.
Octavia Spencer is the scene stealer in her role as Oscar's mother. She has two tremendous heart-wrenching moments in the film that ground the work. Ariana Neal is adorable as Tatiana.
Coogler's debut is a visceral portrayal of life's meaningful moments. Despite seemingly "trying too hard" in the final act, "Fruitvale Station" depicts the importance that every moment and action can have on a person's life.
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