Film Review — Fences
Acclaimed actor Denzel Washington takes his third step into the director’s chair for Fences. Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by the late August Wilson, who penned a screenplay before his death in 2005, it chronicles a few days in the life of Troy Maxson (Washington), a waste collector who lives in 1950s Pittsburgh with his wife Rose (Viola Davis). This is very much a film that depends on the performances of its actors. Because the source material is admittedly not action-packed, it demands a great cast to put it over the top, to take Wilson’s writing and run with it. Thankfully, this cast does just that.
Fences features some of the best dialogue of the year thanks to Wilson’s script, which is dense and smart. The first twenty minutes are delivered at lightning speed thanks to the nonstop banter between Troy and his neighbour and longtime friend Jim Bono (Stephen Henderson). Later on, the characters’ back stories and motivations are also revealed through dialogue. We learn about Troy’s jaded and world-weary attitude, his mentally challenged army vet brother Gabriel, and Rose’s reservations about both of these issues, to name a few. Viola Davis is a revelation, providing the kind of emotional, sincere performance we’ve come to expect from her over the past few years.
The entire supporting cast is stellar as well, with just the right amount of nuance to bolster each other’s performances; most of them were also part of the play’s short Broadway stint back in 2010, with the only newcomer being Jovan Adepo, taking on the role of the Maxsons’ son Cory and pulling it off with aplomb.
Most of the movie takes place in or around the Maxson household, which makes it feel a lot like watching the play. Every scene is canned, without much feeling of transition, which can work fine on stage. Unfortunately, on film, it can be pretty jarring at times, but solid cinematography — featuring a few interesting tracking shots — and a picture-perfect, heartfelt ending make for an enjoyable cinematic experience nonetheless. Combine all this with the minimal but effective score and you’ve got one of the best movies of the year.
Fences earns a well-deserved GOLD rating.
