Fences Review (2016)

Fences

  Wow. Talk about an emotional roller-coaster. While I still haven't seen Silence, I've seen almost all of the other Oscar contenders for this year, and I have to say that Fences has moved me the most. 

  Before I go into what I loved about this film, I will talk about what could be considered a flaw to some. Fences is a very dialogue heavy film, adapted from a play. Because of this, it did at times feel a little restrained within the cinematic medium. Most of the movie takes place in one or two locations, where the camera is pointed at the actors and then leaves them to do their job. With the wrong actors this could have been a catastrophe, but fortunately we had Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, and they gave it everything they had.  Like really, the entire theater was sniffling and crying throughout this whole thing because they were just THAT good. If Washington and Davis don't both win Oscars, I'm going to be furious.  

  The characters are complex, they're flawed, they're relatable. The emotion in this film and from these two actors never feel contrived or theatrical. It's just straight up raw and unapologetic.

  Another thing I must talk about is the profoundly beautiful script. The story is simple, but the way it unfolds is so layered and impacting. It reminded me a lot of the movie Locke, which was one of my favorite films of 2014. 

  Originally, I was going to give this one 9 out of 10 stars, but there is one moment near the end (just a small moment) that I felt was pretty cheesy and out of place. Because of that, I give Fences 8 out of 10 stars (I'd Buy It)