Fruitvale Station

Fruitvale Station, directed by Ryan Coogler, is an emotive and powerful movie that is definitely worth the watch. It is a largely biographical movie based on the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant on The Bay Area Transit Platform (BART) in Oakland, California on January 1st 2009, and it depicts the reality of racism and police brutality in America in a very effective, real way.

The film opens with the harrowing video of the real-life footage of the shooting of Oscar by police. It then cuts to the film version of Oscar, played by Michael B. Jordan, on the last day before his death. Oscar and his girlfriend Sophina, played by Melonie Diaz, are fighting about Oscar not being faithful to her and he promises to be better. Their daughter Tatiana, played by Ariana Neal, tells Oscar that she cannot sleep so she sleeps in their room.

We then see Oscar at the store that he supposedly works at and find out that he has been fired for tardiness. He begs his boss for his job back but he says no and Oscar begs him saying the only alternative is drug dealing, however his old boss still refuses.

Oscar then calls one of his clients and tells him he can sell him some marijuana. He then drives into a petrol station and befriends a Pit Bull who ends up getting run over by some men. This is symbolic of the fact that African-Americans get killed by police and life, for the most part, just seems to move on showing a complete disregard for life. The fact that the dog is a Pit Bull is perhaps also symbolic as they are a dog breed that are often portrayed in an extremely unsympathetic, negative way in the media just like some African-American men are.

He then drives to the sea where he dumps his stash of marijuana, which shows a change in his attitude and proves that he was ready to become a better person and leave his life of crime behind. The film then cuts to his time in prison and shows a visitation between him and his mother Wanda, played by Octavia Spencer, as she tells him she won’t visit him any longer until he gets out of prison. We also see an altercation between him and another prisoner before Wanda leaves. He then gets back in his car and tells his client that he has already sold his marijuana but gives him a smaller amount for free. The fact that he refuses payment also proves that he is done with dealing.

Oscar and his family then got to his mother’s birthday party where she tells him to take the BART train into the city rather than driving as it will be quicker and safer. They enter the city and have an amazing time, partying and befriending people. After celebrating New Year’s with his friends and his girlfriend in the city he returns to the train with them and begins the journey home.

The prisoner that was fighting with Oscar in the prison flashback is also on the train, he sees him and a fight breaks out between the two. Police are called for back up and Oscar’s friends are forced to the ground by white police officers. Oscar runs back on the train but is hauled out by an officer. They repeatedly tell the officers that they have done nothing but the officers do not listen. Oscar then shouts at one of the officers who has called him a racial slur. He is then crushed by an officer kneeling on his neck and shot in the back by another officer, which is an extremely shocking scene. He is rushed to hospital where his friends and family wait anxiously for news about him from the doctors. This is representative of the damage that police brutality has on external forces such as friends and families. The doctor then brings the sad news that Oscar has died after losing too much blood. The film then cuts to facts about the real murder and videos of a protest for Oscar’s death in 2013. The truly shocking fact that the officer who shot Oscar told the jury that he mistook his gun for his taser and as a result he only spent 11 months in jail is revealed.

This film is an emotional yet very effective movie. It portrays the real-life issue of police racism and brutality and the unfair treatment that they receive. This is a prominent issue and the racism of some of the police force is despicable. The rate of police shootings of Black Americans is higher than any other ethnicity, 37 per million people; and from 2013 to 2021, 2391 Black Americans were killed by police which is a truly chilling statistic.

This film is definitely one to watch as it presents the problem of racism amongst American police in such a shocking, emotive and powerful way; so I would say it is definitely one to watch.