Film Review: Fruitvale Station

Director: Ryan Coogler

The true story of the shooting of Oscar Grant III by a police officer at the Fruitvale BART station in San Francisco has been made into a film, but the story itself is well known in America after numerous vigils and protests were made about the events of that day. Fruitvale Station debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best First Film.

Oscar Grant III with his daughter Tatiana

The film is mostly about the life and the last day of Oscar Grant III, director Ryan Coogler expressed a wish to put a personality to the stories about this man who had been unlawfully killed infront of a shocked train full of people. The film actually includes some of the real footage shot by members of the public from the train on their cell phones which makes for distressing viewing. The man was not without his problems with the law and in keeping a job but deep-down he always seemed to want to be a better person which shines through in Michael B. Jordan's performance.

It does take a while to get going as Oscar's daily life is followed on New Years Eve, the scene with the dog at the petrol station seemed to be added just to try and show that Oscar was fundamentally a good guy in a rather unsubtle way. But the scene at the station itself is genuinely horrifying and the aftermath even more sickening as the credits roll. Some have criticized the movie for being emotionally manipulative but I'd imagine the people who knew Oscar would have a much better idea than critics and movie goers who never met the man. A thoughtful and intelligent film that sticks to the reality of what happened rather than basing the film on a story and changing it needlessly.

3.5/4 Heart-breaking true story of a young life wasted