Fruitvale Station

Fruitvale Station (2013) starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer. True story of Oscar Grant (Jordan), a young man who was shot in the back and killed by transit police in Oakland, California, in 2009. The movie traces Grant's last day of life, New Year's Eve, 2008. At 22 years of age, he was something of a loser. He had already served time in prison for drug-dealing, and was recently fired from his job for chronic tardiness. But even though he wasn't an upstanding citizen, the film asks, did he deserve to die? The answer, clearly, is no. He wasn't doing anything wrong when the transit police singled him out for attention, and his shooting, as shown in the movie, was unprovoked. This film succeeds in making you feel sympathy for Grant and for his family, and you feel his death as a terrible injustice. For this reason, the film is a success. (English subtitles for the hearing-impaired are available.) Grade: B