Fruitvale Station

"Every step brings you closer to the edge."

2013 1h 25m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 1,496

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Oakland, California. Young Afro-American Oscar Grant crosses paths with family members, friends, enemies and strangers before facing his fate on the platform at Fruitvale Station, in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2009.

“Every step brings you closer to the edge.”

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Cast

Michael B. Jordan
Oscar Grant
Melonie Díaz
Sophina
Octavia Spencer
Wanda
Kevin Durand
Officer Caruso
Chad Michael Murray
Officer Ingram
Ahna O'Reilly
Katie
Ariana Neal
Tatiana
Keenan Coogler
Cato

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ryan Coogler
Writers: Ryan Coogler
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $18M — a 19.6× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ryan Coogler, shot by Rachel Morrison. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ludwig Göransson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Editor Claudia Castello shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ryan Coogler directs. Rachel Morrison behind the camera. Ludwig Göransson scores. Claudia Castello cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Grossed $18M — a 19.6× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
4Released 13 years ago.
5Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
6Directed by Ryan Coogler, shot by Rachel Morrison. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Ludwig Göransson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Claudia Castello shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Michael B. Jordan and Melonie Díaz and Octavia Spencer carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Every step brings you closer to the edge.".
11IMDB entry: tt2334649 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 17 themes, including "new year's eve", "police brutality", "based on true story", "oakland, california".

The technical file

Cinematography: Rachel Morrison
Original score: Ludwig Göransson
Editing: Claudia Castello
Production design: Hannah Beachler
Makeup / hair: Jihyun Kim
Sound: Bob Edwards
Stunt coordinator: Rocky Capella
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $900,000
Box office: $17,600,000
Return: 1956% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Fruitvale Station (2013)

Awards

Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award
Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Sundance Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Ryan Coogler

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2014-09-22
★ 8/10
I never saw its teaser, nor read its synopsis, but straight went to see it. And I kind of not satisfied for the first hour of the movie. I just wondered what was the movies' idea to fulfill the viewer's desire. Right away I knew it was not an entertainer, then it must highlight something or give a message. Till the beginning of the end, I thought the same way. Then my perspective changed, actually it changed my previous stance about all the earlier narration. ''I know y'all are upset, but got to lift him up. Let's keep him lifted up.'' After witnessing the crucial last scene, I was stunned by the incident that was portrayed in the movie. Realized all the initial developments were got meaning in this part of the movie. So I came to know it was based on the real incident. First of all it was not a person's whole biography, though it is told from his critical time of life. The incident can be viewed in two ways. The fight definitely took place on the sub-way, it was not the Oscar Grant's (lead man) fault. But still the consequences are expected, especially on the new year's eve the alert against violence cannot be negligible by the law. But, what cops did was the over reaction to the situation. Such incidents happen in every country and many of them won't come into the lights. I'm glad about this movie, because it kind of creates awareness of such events. Hats off to all the cast and crew who brought it into the silver screen and now the whole world can know the truth. A must see movie among the 2013 releases.
r96sk2021-03-05
★ 8/10
A very good film about an upsetting true event. Michael B. Jordan (Oscar) nails it in the lead role, he gives an impressive portrayal. There are a few other good performances, the most notable to me being from the excellent Octavia Spencer (Wanda) - yet to see a bad showing from her. Melonie Diaz (Sophina) is notable, too. The story is told in a straightforward but still highly meaningful way, there are a couple of times where you could argue it's too on the nose but even then it still gave me that dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach. The ending, meanwhile, is tough to forget due to Spencer's performance. <em>'Fruitvale Station'</em> is well worth a watch.
Nathan2023-02-17
★ 8/10
Fruitvale Station is the heartbreaking story of Oscar Grant’s unjust murder by the hands of law enforcement. It is impossible to talk about this film without discussing the landscape of America today. This film was released in 2013, the murder occurred in 2009, and yet this same exact story is flashed on our timelines on a monthly basis. Nothing has changed. It is sick and disgusting that we live in a country where police can brutalize American citizens without any repercussions. We need change! For Oscar Grant, for George Floyd, for Breonna Taylor, for every American who has been murdered by the officers sworn to protect us… As for the movie, Ryan Coogler handled this topic beautifully, showcasing the life of Oscar Grant and the beautiful aspects of his family, friends, and personality. It was paced well, allowing the audience to form a deep bond with Grant, which makes the ending all the more tragic. There is fantastic cinematography and amazing performances from the entire cast. Michael B Jordan is superb, giving an incredibly nuanced performance by having a rough and manly exterior with a soft and kind inside. His drive to good for his family is shown by not only his actions but by his facial expressions when he interacts with his daughter. It was stellar. The emotional scenes are impactful, and they linger for an uncomfortable period of time, letting the gravity of what occurred sit with you. Overall, no matter how great this film is, it should have never needed to be made and that is the true tragedy of Fruitvale Station. Score: 81% | Verdict: Great