Movie Review: Fruitvale Station

"Fruitvale Station" is based on a true story. I didn't know that before I saw it, given that I am an idiot who sometimes forgets to read the news. It's not necessary to know the story before you see it, but some knowledge would definitely help. In short, "Fruitvale Station" is about a standoff between some Bay Area cops and a few young black men at a train station in Oakland that ended in a tragic death.

That is just a short answer to what "Fruitvale Station" is about, and an answer that does not really give it justice. It's about the last day in the life of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), which also happened to be on the last day of 2008. It is also about humanizing the dead and finding empathy by creating context. Oscar's final day is filled with little moments that normally wouldn't mean much in terms of one's entire life. However, they mean the world in someone's final hours.