Fences – Oscar Worthy Adapted Broadway Play (may contain spoilers)
This is a deeply emotional film which is set in 1950's America, directed by Denzel Washington. This was originally a Broadway stage play, written by August Wilson, which won both Politzer and Tony prizes.
Denzel Washington plays Troy, a bitter, heavy drinking man, who resents his missed opportunities due to colour and age, who we now see has conformed to the norms of society. He works hard as a rubbish collector to provide the basics for his family. Troy consistently voices his strong opinions and is definitely the master of his household.
The film is very dialogue heavy with some very lengthy lines, some of which were delivered in a Shakespearian manner, this was a hugely positive aspect of the film for me.
The film mainly takes place in the house or in the rear garden where we see Troy is building a fence to keep his family safe from the devil, in reality he's building a symbolic fence around himself to keep them all out.
The relationship Troy has with his sons is difficult, we learn through a flashback that Troy had a tough childhood, his father beat him and provided very little so he had to leave home at 14 and fend for himself, this had a big part in shaping his complex and deeply flawed character. Think of the phrase "The sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons."
We see that he loves his wife deeply, but he obviously wanted more from life. Now we see in the film some conflict has grown, they clash over many things and this may have been the cause of this drinking problem, he even cheats on his wife where he ends up having a baby with another woman!
Only after his death, do his family realise that even though he was bitter, and angry at times, he actually had good intentions. The performances are fabulous across the board, particularly Oscar worthy from Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. All the characters have great chemistry and you grow to care deeply for all of them.
A very powerful emotional drama, which left me completely exhausted at the end.
Very highly recommended.
10/10.
Denzel Washington plays Troy, a bitter, heavy drinking man, who resents his missed opportunities due to colour and age, who we now see has conformed to the norms of society. He works hard as a rubbish collector to provide the basics for his family. Troy consistently voices his strong opinions and is definitely the master of his household.
The film is very dialogue heavy with some very lengthy lines, some of which were delivered in a Shakespearian manner, this was a hugely positive aspect of the film for me.
The film mainly takes place in the house or in the rear garden where we see Troy is building a fence to keep his family safe from the devil, in reality he's building a symbolic fence around himself to keep them all out.
The relationship Troy has with his sons is difficult, we learn through a flashback that Troy had a tough childhood, his father beat him and provided very little so he had to leave home at 14 and fend for himself, this had a big part in shaping his complex and deeply flawed character. Think of the phrase "The sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons."
We see that he loves his wife deeply, but he obviously wanted more from life. Now we see in the film some conflict has grown, they clash over many things and this may have been the cause of this drinking problem, he even cheats on his wife where he ends up having a baby with another woman!
Only after his death, do his family realise that even though he was bitter, and angry at times, he actually had good intentions. The performances are fabulous across the board, particularly Oscar worthy from Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. All the characters have great chemistry and you grow to care deeply for all of them.
A very powerful emotional drama, which left me completely exhausted at the end.
Very highly recommended.
10/10.
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