Since January is the time of year when the Sundance Film Festival is hosted, TFS has decided to screen a few films that have had past debuts at the festival.

Last week we successfully screened director David Zellner’s fantastic film debut Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Which turned out to be quite the successful screening) and we will continue this week with Ryan  Coogler’s (director of this year’s  Academy Award contender and Rocky follow up, Creed and the upcoming Marvel Studios film Black Panther) directorial debut Fruitvale Station (2013).

The film, which stars Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, and Melonie Diaz, and is produced by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013.

It won the coveted U.S. Grand Jury Prize as well as the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film, and also received the award for Best First Film in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.  The film is based on the true story of Oscar Grant III (Michael B. Jordan), a man who was killed by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer on New Year’s Day in 2009.

The film follows Oscar in the hours prior to his killing, where we see him struggle with personal conflicts, make encounters with friends and enemies, and attempt to better his life for the sake of himself and his family.

Now, what makes this film so relevant is the way that the film handles the difficult topic of police brutality. The power of this film lies in the real sense of humanity it displays in one of the countless victims of police brutality through its simplistic structure.

Coogler utilizes the minimalist nature of the film to great strengths, making the film that much more impactful.  In our current climate, it seems as if we are seeing continuous news stories of black men and women being killed by police.

With these occurrences constantly rising and with media representation of the victims tarnishing much of their dignity, Coogler here has created a film which shows us that behind the political nature of the issue, the victims were still human, and who went through their own personal highs and lows and deserve to maintain their dignity.

Through this approach, and with its subtle and minimalist nature, Coogler makes the film feel as though it is not just a condemnation of police brutality, but also a celebration of livelihood and a tragedy of when its cut short.

Coogler also lets the power of the film have a voice of its own by relying on strong character work and performances. Coogler and lead actor Michael B. Jordan approach Oscar Grant in a way that is unique for a film of this nature.

Usually, film biographies tend to have a reputation for seeming hagiographical, where they treat the main subjects of the film as flawless individuals.

Thus, we never see these characters commit any wrongdoings or struggle with their moral compass throughout the film. This makes it difficult for the audience to truly empathize with them.

Coogler and Jordan, on the other hand, avoid this issue by portraying Oscar Grant as a person who is constantly struggling with making the right decisions.

Throughout the film, we see him attempting to get a job to help provide for his family, grappling with the ramifications of his past criminal offences.

Throughout these struggles, we empathize with Oscar and understand him as a person, not just a newspaper headline, which gives the film more honesty.

Ryan Coogler has directed a heartbreakingly powerful film which offers its viewers the opportunity to critically reflect upon an issue that is prevalent in our society today. From the first frame of the film, an unsettling tension is created that continues to build all the way to the shocking conclusion.

Please join the TFS on Wednesday January 27th at Artspace at 8:00 p.m. for a free screening of this film, which should be sure to spark reflection regarding the contemporary institutional tensions between citizens and the state.