Fruitvale Station 2013
9.7
r
Ryan Coogler, the man, the legend.. the guy who will go on to make Black Panther and Creed (both with Michael B. Jordan). This movie was his star-making moment. And what an introduction to the world it is...
j
Beautiful use of 16mm. Even if you don't care about the subject (which you should btw), watch it just for the visuals.
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This is the true story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Black man in Oakland, California, who was shot dead by police in the morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009. Incidentally, 2009 was also the time when smartphones started going mainstream, and so the incident was not only captured by CCTV but also many private cell phone cameras. The murder went viral.
Grant is superbly played by Michael B. Jordan in what now counts as one of his breakthrough roles, when many only knew him as Wallace in the now-legendary crime drama The Wire. Director Ryan Coogler went on making two more movies with him, including Black Panther in 2018.
Produced by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and compassionately told, Fruitvale Station surpasses the sadness of its subject matter and amounts to an extraordinary celebration of life. A must-watch.