Fruitvale Station Essay

Aaron Hutchins
Fuitvale Station DPI
Fruitvale Station is a film directed by Ryan Coogler. The movie is based on a true story of a 22-year-old man who was is tragically shot and killed by Police officers on New Year’s Eve in 2008. The film details the events of Oscar Grant’s life in the hours prior to his untimely death.
All the components to the film combine to make it an overall grasping and successful film.
While watching the film, it is noticed that Coogler did not take much time to incorporate background music. The few instances in which the director does include music appear to accent the positive aspects of Oscar’s day, particularly when he is interacting with his daughter and his family. The music is rather subtle but upbeat, which works

The film “Fruitvale Station” serves to offer a different perspective on the incident in which Oscar lost his life. The media portrays the story from the officer’s perspective which often distorts the public’s opinion surrounding the circumstances. Rather than following the path of the media, Coogler depicts Oscar’s point of view and presents the story in a different light. By witnessing things from Oscar’s angle, the audience can realize the injustice of the situation that led to his death. The director depicted his humanity rather than portraying Oscar as a thug as the media did. Though the film shows negative parts of Oscar’s life, such as cheating on his girlfriend, going to prison, and selling drugs, Coogler presents these mishaps as aspects of
Oscar’s past. In the film, Oscar made a decision to give up his old ways and strive for a more righteous future. However, whether or not his future is more righteous or more legal, the reality of his destiny would be just as horrific to the viewer. After watching this film, the viewer can expect to experience the more disheartening reality of the circumstances of Oscar’s last moments, which enables them to gain a better understanding of the corrupt and unjust nature