FRUITVALE STATION

Fruitvale Station is a rebuttal to the notion of post-racial America and a piece of the Obama-era cinema. Its skepticism of post-racial America is baked into themes of racial tensions, identity, flawed institutions, and discrimination. It's a powerful piece of Black cinema.

Fruitvale Station exists in conversation with the New Jack films, particularly in its treatment of Black manhood and culture. Fruitvale Station is unapologetically proud of Black Culture and its value in American society.

Fruitvale Station adopts "a day in the life approach" for Oscar Grant. This approach leads to a sense of empathy and humanizes the protagonist with his flaws and traits. It's an approach that pays dividends and leads to its nihilistic yet thematically resonant ending.

Fruitvale Station depicts law institutions as systemic abuse inherited by generations of Black people and centers its racial tensions in its police brutality and ethnic discrimination. It's a simmering tension of the 2010s United States that haunts to this day.

Fruitvale Station feels like a time capsule of Obama-era cinema, yet still stands as a cautionary tale. In light of BLM and George Floyd's death, it becomes even more timely and resonant to America and American cinema.

Technically, Fruitvale Station is subdued yet effective. Its direction maintains a sombre and tragic tone yet never wallows in it. The cinematography, while basic, consists of framing, focus, and close-ups and strives for a realistic approach.

The powerhouse acting conveys layers, depth, restraint, and range. The precise editing consists of flashbacks, slow-mo,close-ups, and smash cuts, striving for a documentary aesthetic.

The ambient yet minimal sound design punctuates silence, combat, and diegetic sound provides a sense of tangibility and realism. The minimal score consists of ambient synth music and atmospheric sound.

The on-location production design conveys a Ghetto aesthetic, accentuating the gritty realism and tangibility. The casting contains fit, diversity, and medium star power. The minimal effects consist of blood and gore and employ the practical effects.

Overall, Fruitvale Station is an exceptional character study that feels prescient and filled with political and social commentary, while practicing empathy. It's a confident start for one of the most promising filmmakers of the decade.

Writing: 9/10

Direction: 9/10

Cinematography: 6/10

Acting: 10/10

Editing: 8/10

Sound: 7/10

Score: 7/10

Prod Design: 10/10

Casting: 7/10

Effects: 5/10

OVERALL SCORE: 7.8/10