Film Review: Fences

If Loving is the polite, restrained film about race and relationships this fortnight, Fences is its exact opposite. A storm-level cinematic trip with powerhouse performances, you don’t just watch Fences. You experience it. The film meets your eye with a stare so penetrating that you’ll drop your gaze first. It reaches through the screen, grabs you by your shirt, pulls you close and yells at you, its breath reeking of booze and hot with emotion.  
These statements all also apply to Fences’ leading man, Denzel Washington, who also directs this adaptation of August Wilson’s 1983 play. Set in the 1950s, the story focuses on Troy (Washington), a middle-aged family man living in Pittsburgh. A former baseball player whose potential for stardom was destroyed by racism within the Major Leagues, he now works as a trash collector and drinks too much, his charm undermined by volatility. His bitterness is a survival mechanism; Troy has faced too much oppression to remain idealistic. But it doesn’t make him easy to deal with, and his desire to toughen up his son Cory (Jovan Adepo) visibly hurts the youngster.
Washington is a tornado of emotion as a man who dominates every interaction. It’s almost impossible to imagine someone pulling the focus from him – until Viola Davis steps onscreen. As Troy’s intelligent, endlessly patient wife Rose, Davis brilliantly portrays the pressures placed on black women. When a great hurt is inflicted, Rose’s lifetime of unappreciated sacrifice causes her to explode with rage, though she quickly reverts to her usual stoicism. The message is clear though: the damage has been done.
It does have to be noted that Fences’ overall transition to the screen can be somewhat clunky – the dialogue is occasionally overwrought and the film could have benefitted from tighter editing. Nonetheless, the performances are transcendent, and the movie offers an unforgettable insight into the African-American experience.