Fruitvale Station - B+

Unrated, 84 minutes

Performances, emotion highlight powerful true story "Fruitvale Station"

Octavia Spencer

If you don't know who Oscar Grant is before seeing the powerful new drama "Fruitvale Station," you won't be able to forget him afterwards. Superbly acted and directed by newcomer Ryan Coogler, "Fruitvale Station" has won many festival awards, including major prizes at both Cannes and Sundance. It tells the true story of the unarmed Grant, who in the early morning hours of New Years Day 2009, was shot to death at a transit station outside of San Francisco by a transit officer following a scuffle. Coogler, in an auspicious debut as director, brings "Fruitvale Station" to the screen with intense emotion and superb performances from Michael B. Jordan ("Chronicle") as Grant and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer as his mother, whose birthday is on New Year's Eve. The sublime breakout performance from the charming Jordan, best known to many from the TV show "Friday Night Lights," should propel him to new heights, and he anchors the film well. "Fruitvale Station" as good as it is, isn't perfect. This is seemingly a sketch of Grant's life and doesn't delve into its nuances, not to mention it fails to examine the other issues that arose from the tragic incident, including the riots and protests that occurred after Grant's death or the motives of the police officer who gunned down Grant. While it's a sensitive and even overly sympathetic portrait of Grant, Coogler is still wise enough to keep the story at an intimate level, which keeps the story immensely touching, and bringing out fantastic performances from everyone involved. A low-budget, independently produced film, the deeply satisfying "Fruitvale Station" is worth your time.

Wes's Grade: B+