Fences Review
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Fences is a Pulitzer Prize award-winning drama that was written in 1983 and premiered about years later. The movie’s setting dates back to the 1950s to a section of Pittsburg occupied with black people from the middle class. In 2016, a screen version of the play was released, which stars Denzel Washington as Troy who also doubles as the director (Wilson, 2016). He is married to Viola Davis, who stars as Rose with whom they share their son Cory. Other characters in the film are his best friend and co-worker Bono, his eldest son Lyons and disabled veteran brother Gabe. As the plot unfolds, the audience witness anguished family drama forged from Troy’s sense of old-fashioned sense of destiny. This text represents a review of the movie. It explores if and why I like the movie, if the acting was good, as well as the effective specific scenes from the movie. Further, it asserts the contribution of the characters in the film and the role I would play if I were to play a role in this film.
There are many reasons why I like this movie. First of all, the environment setting in which the movie is set is very intriguing. The movie dates back to the late 90s. As I watched the movie, I got a feel of how it looked like back then. As Troy leaves for work in the company of his co-worker Bono, we see them walk the streets as they chat on their way home. The streets are filled with cars that are packed close to each other within the neighborhood. Children are seen laughing and playing in the corridors. This gives me the feel of a communist community. I also like the movie because it talks about something that happens in society, yet people have failed to address it. This is the fact that parents push their children to the edge in the current society because of personal reasons instead of supporting their children. In this case, Troy did not want his son to play football because his own career in baseball did not turn out as he had anticipated it would. Troy’s bitterness had clouded his judgment, and he refused to open his eyes to the fact that things were changing and that people of color were being accepted and were excelling in sports.
The acting was top-notch. This is not only because Troy and his wife Rose were taken up some of the most exemplary acts in the film but because Denzel doubled as an actor and director. Additionally, the character of Gabe, who is Tory’s brother, brings to life the reality of the struggles that this family is going through. Most specifically, the audience gets to experience firsthand the breakdown that Rose is going through after she delivers a long monologue of scalding, tearful, and rose-running agony. She talks about her half-sisters and half-brothers and drags America’s racist past into the picture. The film is filled with heaviness, and as one is watching it, they get the sense that the lives of every person matters no matter their race or how noble they are.
I feel that the most effective scene is the scene where Troy’s eldest son comes home to borrow ten dollars from his father. Although acting is effective throughout the play, this specific scene amplifies Troy’s real character of ego and pride. Lyon is an easygoing musician who, against his father’s wishes, wants more out of life than the ordinary. Troy is full of negativity, and he keeps telling Lyons to ditch his career and joining him at his job as a garbage collector. Troy refuses to loan him the 10 dollars insisting that if he had a decent job, he wouldn’t need to borrow in the first place. As a father, he is not supportive of his dream, bringing out his character as a bitter person.
In my opinion, the supporting cast is solid, and they all played a significant role in pushing the agenda of this film and plot. First of all, Troy’s wife Rose strikes as a devoted lady who helps keep every member of the family together. She keeps the family balanced. She is always talking sense into her husband. For instance, she asked Troy to let his son play football and insisted that he loan his eldest son 10 dollars. The character of Gabe is the most interesting. His brother, who was once in the military, suffers a metal in his head and is rebellious. He refused to stay in the house Troy had purchased with the money from Gabe’s incident. Bringing out such as character is not as easy as it seems in this case, the character was well executed. Bono also plays a role because he is the listening ear that Troy needs while telling his never-ending stories.
If I were to play a role as a cast in the film, I would play Cory’s role. For some reason, I relate to the position he is in. Corry was offered an opportunity of a lifetime, which was meant to turn his life around. But he did not have a good relationship with his father. All he wanted was for his father to recognize him and applaud him for a job well done. But on the contrary, his father was always quarreling with him. He did not want him to follow his dream to become of playing football. I have been in similar situations, of dilemmas where you are forced to sacrifice your dreams because you want to make another person happy. This should not be the case; parents should leave their children to decide the path they want to follow in life.
The film Fences follows the life of a dynamic black family in Pittsburg in the 1950s. The film shows us how our environment shapes our intentions and that, at times, parents are bound to mess up their children’s lives by imposing on decisions. Parents should not over impose decisions to the point of being over-controlling. Times are changing, and children should be allowed to follow a path they have chosen.
References
Wilson, A. (2016). Fences (Vol. 6). Penguin.
