And here’s a movie you should see all of, right away: Fruitvale Station. It won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and is the true story of Oscar Grant, who was needlessly shot in the back by an Oakland transit cop on New Years Eve in 2009. The film follows Oscar, played by Michael B. Jordan, for 24 hours before it all happened.
Oscar wasn’t perfect, but at age 22, he was on the verge of really getting his life together. He had friends and a caring mother and grandmother, he was a playful dad and boyfriend, and had a big heart. If you’re like me, and think that cops are real shitbags, you’ll hate them all the more from the opening scene of the film, in which we’re shown cell phone video of the real shooting. From then on, as we start at beginning of his day, Oscar is a walking dead man.
You know how a great film will really stick with you the day after you see it? This one haunted me, and as I passed a billboard for it, it broke my heart.
It’ll break yours, too. You really oughta see it.
