Introduction
Movies about discrimination against black people have always had an increased interest from the audience. The film Fruitvale Station is a 2013 autobiographical drama about Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old African American man who was shot by the Bart police in Oakland in 2009 (El-Mahmoud, 2020). Oskar has a network of contacts, dreams, and aspirations. Grant tries to return to ordinary life after serving his time in prison, but he loses his job in a grocery store. He wants to be a supportive partner to his girlfriend, Sophina, a good father for his daughter, Tatiana, and a caring son for his mother, Wanda. However, Sophina is angry about seeing him with another girl, and Wanda is concerned about her son’s source of income and criminal past. Still, Oscar manages to buy a car and food for his mother’s birthday as a present.
After that, He got shot by a police officer at the Fruitvale station, and despite the physicians’ efforts, Oscar did not survive. The movie tried to present the story of a young black man whose life was cut short as a result of multiple unfavorable conditions.
Oscar’s Work and Family Struggles
Despite Oscar’s criminal past and unemployment, he strives to be a good parent and person. He takes his daughter to daycare and his wife to work every morning. Oscar always treats them with love and care, hoping to give them a better life. When he comes to the supermarket, where he used to work, his former coworkers and even his employer seem to like him as a person (Coogler, 2013). Furthermore, Oscar quickly connects with one of the customers, a white girl named Katie, by helping her select the fish for dinner. This scene shows that Grant did not have any issues with attitude or human interaction, but he was unlucky to lack a college education and thus a good job. The movie shows that he came from a disciplined family where everyone values work ethic. However, Oscar was late once, hence, he was released from his duties in this store. Oscar’s criminal past was an obstacle for him to finding a good job, which has led to a series of troubles throughout his life.
Oscar wants to be a good person and tries to do the right things to the best of his abilities. For example, in search of money, the protagonist decides to sell marijuana, but he chooses to stop it after recalling his incarceration. Furthermore, Grant wants to be honest with his girlfriend about his current situation. Before his mother’s birthday party, Oscar tells Sophina that he was fired two weeks ago, which makes her angry initially, yet they eventually reconcile (Coogler, 2013). After the birthday celebration, Grant and his girlfriend go to see the New Year fireworks with their friends, leaving Tatiana with her aunt. It appears that the director wanted to show that Oscar, despite having a criminal past and employment problems, was lucky to be loved and supported by his family.
The Gas Station Scene
In this film, there is a scene at a gas station where Oscar meets a dog. While refilling the car’s gas tank, Oscar comes across an abandoned pit bull he pets and wants to take home, but the dog gets hit by a car (Coogler, 2013). The sound of a vehicle hitting the dog and Oscar’s scream highlights the tragedy of people’s indifference to a helpless creature left to die on the street. Although this accident did not wholly resemble Grant’s death, it showed what human violence could lead to.
Fruitvale Station and the Current Issues of Racial Discrimination
Today’s society is challenged with a wide range of issues that can hinder the growth and development of communities, and racial discrimination is one of them. When Oscar, Sophina, and their friends were returning home on the train after celebrating New Year, Oscar met one of the former inmates from the prison where he served his time. This man was a brutal racist, and he started a fight with Grant (Coogler, 2013). When the police came, the initiator of the conflict left. However, Oscar and his friends were detained probably because of their skin color. The conflict between the police and this group of African Americans led to Oscar being accidentally shot by one of the officers. Although Grant received immediate help from a team of paramedics, physicians, and nurses, he did not survive. The movie demonstrates how young men’s constitutional rights may be violated by police, yet there is nothing that can be done for them in some cases.
Fruitvale Station shows an objective reality of the relations between black and white citizens. The movie shows that various attitudes and relationships exist between black and white Americans. The first example of an equivocal attitude of white people towards African Americans was Katie, who was first reluctant to talk to Oscar. However, when he calls his grandmother to help the girl choose to fish for dinner, she becomes more friendly (Coogler, 2013). Katie was one of those individuals who filmed police brutality at that station, expressing her shock and anger about the incident. Oscar’s sister does not like things associated with white; hence, she asks her brother to buy a black car for their mother’s birthday (Coogler, 2013). The extreme racism was expressed by the former inmate, whom Oscar met on the train, and the police officers. Still, it appeared that the latter was shocked by the fact that their actions resulted in Oscar’s death. The film showed the healthcare workers’ behavior by highlighting their indifference to the injured man’s race, taking all the measures necessary to save his life.
Conclusion
In summary, based on a true story, Fruitvale Station was a movie about a young African American man who became a victim of police brutality. The main character, Oscar Grant, struggled to find his place in this world after being released from prison. Still, he is a loving boyfriend, father, brother, and son who wants to improve his family’s life. Since Oscar’s relatives support and care for him, it gives him emotional strength not to become angry and bitter. The young man is devastated about being fired, but he remains compassionate to other human beings and animals. Unfortunately, Oscar was accidentally shot by one of the police officers at the Fruitvale station in Oakland, where Grant and his friends were detained for being involved in a fight initiated by a white person. This film aimed to show an objective view of this incident by showing that there are white and black individuals who are loyal and kind to people regardless of their skin color. However, some Americans discriminate against others based on race, which leads to such tragic situations, as shown in this movie.
References
Coogler, R. (2013). Fruitvale station [Film]. Significant Productions.
El-Mahmoud, S. (2020). Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station: The story behind The Black Panther director’s first movie. Cinema Blend. Web.