So bit of background. I went into this movie after an AWFUL day at work. I was standing at the ticket booth not knowing what to see (it was between this and We're the Millers). All I knew about this movie was that it was rocking a Rotten Tomatoes score in the high 90s, and after my awful day I just wanted to see something good. So, I picked this movie.
For some reason, even though I had seen the footage and knew the story, it didn't click in my head exactly what this movie was about until maybe about halfway into it. That moment, the moment where I realized exactly what was going to happen, was one of the most powerful moments in my recent memory. And this movie became what so few movies are - one where you know the ending, and it still manages to be suspenseful, upsetting, poignant, and beautiful.
For those of you who know the tragic story of Oscar Grant, great. If you don't, I highly recommend going into this movie with no knowledge - I'd love to hear your opinion of it from that mindset. But in a nutshell (and without spoiling the story), this movie follows Oscar (played by an absolutely dynamite Michael B Jordan) as he goes through his New Years Eve analyzing his life, his relationships, and vowing to fix them. I only know Jordan's career from his equally riveting performance in Chronicle, though I know many people respect and love him from Friday Night Lights. But this is the role that will define him in my head, perfectly showing a broken but loving man try to pick his life up from where it was at its lowest, beautifully showing how starting over isn't as beautiful or necessarily helpful as Hollywood would have us believe.
But if there's one person in this film who needs recognition, it is Octavia Spencer. I always liked her, she was always someone to have fun with. But I never really opened my eyes to her talent as an actress. This is the film that did it for me. She plays one of the most beautifully written mothers in film that I can remember; tender, firm, but always a bit unsure if the path she's choosing for her child is necessarily the right one. I loved her, and lets just say her final scene is one of the most beautiful scenes that I can remember a mother in film having. It's one that I hope gets her recognition for an Academy nomination, one she very much deserves for this film
The movie brilliantly forces you initially to get to know this man, this man who by all accounts is very average, even perhaps a bit below considering his past. But the movie effortlessly makes him both lovable and questionable, a truly beautiful human character. You question his life decisions, ending up in prison and his drug addiction, but love him for his obvious adoration for his beautiful daughter, played by an incredibly talented Ariana Neal, who gives the best child performance I've seen since Where the Wild Things Are. His relationships are imperfect, even broken. But his loving family is one that, as an audience member, I desperately wanted to know and be a part of. It was a beautiful sensation.
This is a movie that everyone should, perhaps must, experience. It's a beautifully shot movie about love, redemption, and mistakes. Again, if you know nothing about Oscar Grant's story, try going into this film and not looking it up. Then, let me know your thoughts. I'd be fascinated to know.
Rank - 5/5
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