Make "Fruitvale Station" Your Next Stop

It is uncommon to see a film in which the script is written so perfectly that at the end of the film, you, perhaps as an aspiring writer, say to yourself, “This is the kind of script I want to write.” Such was the case with me after seeing writer and director Ryan Coogler’s feature debut, “Fruitvale Station.” What an amazing debut!! “Fruitvale Station” tells the story of Oscar Grant, a 22 year-old Oakland, California man who, after an evening out celebrating New Year’s Eve, 2009, is killed, perhaps accidentally, perhaps not, by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer after an incident on a BART train. The actual incident, as recorded on a bystander’s camera phone, is the first scene of the film. The audience understands the stakes and knows what is going to eventually happen to Oscar. At first, I found showing this footage to be in bad taste, however, as the film develops and you learn more about Oscar and his family, I found this decision to be a brilliant one by Coogler. Like last year’s “Amour” and “Argo,” “Fruitvale Station” makes me want to tell everyone I know how great this film is and encourage them to see it and encourage them to have a discussion with me about the film after they see it.

The wonderful script follows Oscar Grant (Michael E. Jordan) for one year before the incident on New Year’s Eve of 2009. Oscar is not perfect. In the first few minutes of the film, we learn that he has cheated on his girlfriend at least once, maybe more than that. He can’t hold a job at a grocery store because he has a punctuality problem. He sells dope on the side to make money. Conversely, we learn that he has more good attributes than bad. This is important to the script, because if he was an all-around scumbag, the audience, or at least I, would not have cared about him at all. It is important that the script does not portray Oscar as a saint or somebody that anyone should necessarily admire. His positive traits endear us to him as he has a strong relationship with his mother (Octavia Spencer) and grandmother (Marjorie Shears). He has an innate desire to help people. Despite his fidelity problem, he loves his girlfriend and his daughter, Tatiana, played very well in an understated way by Ariana Neal. The script could have shamelessly easily hammered home the fact that Oscar has a daughter and that he loves her, playing to the emotions of the audience, especially those members with children. In Coogler’s script, the fact that he has a daughter is simply just one of many facts we learn about him that make us feel badly for the inevitable. His having a daughter is not used, as sometimes is in films with inferior scripts, to divert our attention to the negative portions of Oscar’s character. In not doing this, Coogler proves himself to be a very intelligent screenwriter who does not take the easy way out.

As she did in “The Help,” Octavia Spencer proves herself to be one of the leading actresses in film today. I cannot wait for the next film in which she will appear. I hope that she continues to pursue dramatic roles such as in this film or dramatic roles with a bit of a comedic touch as she played in “The Help.” She is extremely talented. Also of note is the performance of Melonie Diaz as Oscar’s girlfriend, Sophia. She plays Sophia as a tough woman who is frustrated by Oscar’s immaturity, while at the same time, loves him despite his faults. Michael E. Jordan gives an excellent performance as Oscar. Oscar is portrayed by Jordan as a multi-layered man, not just some street thug that the media or the general population might simply shrug off as “just another hoodlum.” This is the true achievement of the film. As written and performed, Oscar Grant is a human being to whom all audience members can relate. He is not a saintly man by any means, but he is not a dangerous menace to society either. All of us are imperfect in some way, however, most of us want to do what is right. The storytelling in “Fruitvale Station” is so deftly constructed that I couldn’t help but be interested and feel compassion for the characters in the film. The film is not about race or race relations, however, it is clear by what happens in the train station to Oscar that race and circumstance were factors in what happened. This is not the first film to depict an event such as this one, however, the way in which this film is constructed and written is flawless. I felt as if I was in this environment with these characters. Specific events depicted in the film, on purpose, of course, however, done without a feeling of being forced reinforce the fact that Oscar is not, at heart, a bad person. A scene at a gas station involving a dog is an especially brilliant piece of filmmaking that endears us to Oscar. “Fruitvale Station” does not cover the happiest subject matter, however, it will thrill true film-lovers, those who relish outstanding storytelling and strong performances. It has the rare ability to take the viewer through an emotional journey which leads to an unhappy event, though, in doing so makes the film lover in us excited by the fact that we have just witnessed brilliance in filmmaking.