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Click here to return to the main site. DVD Review
Oscar has come to a crossroads in his life, losing his job means that he finds it difficult to spend money on his daughter and his dreams of being happily married are too far off for him to consider it ever being a reality. But, Oscar does try and change his life even though the colour of his skin and his environment are against him. Then one fateful night Oscar’s life ends in an unnecessary tragedy... Fruitvale Station (2013 1 hr. 24 min 59 sec) is a drama, based on real events. Directed by Ryan Coogler, from his own original script. The film won too many awards to list here. On many levels this is a deeply disturbing film, not to say this is not a film with a political agenda, it very much wants to highlight the injustice done to Oscar. Throughout the majority of its running time we follow Oscar as he tries and mostly fails to better his life, some of the restrictions come from being a black man in America, some are historically Oscar’s fault, like losing his job. However, he is portrayed as a man with good intentions, trying to be a better person. Thankfully, what happens to Oscar is sufficiently removed from most people’s experiences to be truly shocking. It’s not really giving the plot away, as you can view the actual shooting on You Tube, to say that on one New Year’s Eve, whilst being arrested by the police, a single policeman stands over the prone and restrained Oscar and shoots him in the back. The film has an agenda to propose that this sort of thing should be unthinkable in any civilised society; it appears to be all too common in America. In reality the cop served just eleven months for shooting an unarmed young man. The opening of the film is a bit confusing; you’re not really sure what you are seeing. The police appear to be restraining someone, at this point we are unaware that this is Oscar, or that this is not part of the reconstruction, but actual phone video of his shooting. Following this we are thrust into the reconstruction of the last hours of Oscar’s life. We first encounter him in bed with his partner and child, texting on his phone, the text appearing on-screen. It might seem a little odd, but then phones, and their ability to record daily life, would prove crucial in the case against the man who shot him. Michael B. Jordan gives a well-rounded portrayal of Oscar as a flawed man trying to do his best. We are certainly not given the impression that he was a saint - just an ordinary man trying to get through life. His ‘every man’ appeal makes his killing all the more tragic. The initial impression of Oscar is not good as we are shown that he lost his job by being constantly late, not the best idea of someone taking life seriously. The film follows him as he encounters friends and family, allowing the film to show that Oscar has more sides to his personality. Many of the scenes are deliberately unremarkable, the only two explosive scenes are the one of his mother visiting him in prison, which goes to set up the film's ending, explaining what happened to start a fight on the train that night and the events in the train station, which is strong enough to leave you speechless. The disc provided was the film burned to a DVD so there were no extras, but there was two audio track on the disc a 5.1 and a 2.0. It’s difficult to say that this was an entertaining film, I can see why it was made, but it’s an uncomfortable watch, which is how it should be. 8 Charles Packer Buy this item online
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