It seems to be a month filled with uncomfortable films about young American men and gun violence – or maybe Elliot Rodgers has just made us see these trends more clearly. Not that Fruitvale Station needed the extra dose of reality: Ryan Coogler’s debut tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a young black man who was shot and killed by a police officer in an Oakland metro station in 2009.
Starting and ending with real footage from both Grant’s killing and his funeral, Coogler is aiming for heart-wrenching authenticity, and his drama unfolds as a portrait of a life told in a single day. Sadly, some clunky, stereotypical directing detracts from a tragic story and a powerful lead performance.
Michael B Jordan (TV’s The Wire, Parenthood) is a brilliant actor, and his upcoming role in The Fantastic Four will see him break down some important barriers and bring some much-needed racial diversity to big-budget superhero flicks. His portrayal of Grant is beautifully layered; quick-witted, kind and charismatic, he effortlessly charms his family, friends and random women. However, his chequered past of infidelities, convictions and lost jobs indicate a bad streak, which Jordan plays with subtlety and nuance.
When he’s allowed to play it, that is. Coogler’s downfall comes from his determination to portray Grant as a saint, using heavy-handed (often fictional) scenes of Grant assisting strangers, trying to save injured dogs and being incessantly winsome. Accompanied by clichéd slow-motion sequences, flashbacks and sledgehammer symbolism, the canonisation feels at odds with the realistic stylings and gritty story.
Though beautifully acted, Fruitvale Station undermines its important themes of race, privilege and violence by whitewashing its subject’s flaws.