Ryan Coogler was also concerned with creating a multidimensional character when he crafted Fruitvale Station. The film tells the last day in the life of Oscar Grant, a young unarmed black man who was murdered by police on New Years in 2009 at a BART station in Oakland, California. The event struck Coogler hard. He was still in college when it happened, and the shooting took place in the community he grew up in. Much like the rest of the directors, Coogler’s personal relations to the material is what makes it work. Being around the same age range and from the same background led Coogler on a quest to humanize Grant. In “Last Day of a Young Black Man” writer Roxane Gay talks about Coogler’s devotion, saying “Depicting this reality was Coogler’s
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This ranges from a variety of television and film portrayals. Coogler instead shows a more honest portrayal of what it means to be a black man in today 's day and age. There is a huge amount of detail paid in the film to code switching, as Gay points out: “the man he is with his mother is different from the man he is with his girlfriend and child, with his friends, and in prison. As director Coogler, who is from the Bay Area, notes, “Often times you’ve got to be different people just to stay alive” (Gay, 2016). Oscar’s true character is found through his constant code switching. He is a caring man, which is something that is evident through every interaction, especially when he is dealing with a relative stranger. The code switching works, for Grant quickly comes to life in the …show more content…
It is worth noting that the studio was originally in talks with Duvernay for the job, but she turned it down citing a lack of seeing “eye to eye” (Sangwei, 2015). She goes on to mention a difference of story perspectives, which is an interesting source of conflict. In the comics Black Panther tells the story of an African king who presides over one of the most technologically advanced civilizations in the world. The story is complex, with themes of colonialism and racism, topics Marvel has yet to tackle in its cinematic universe. Though these themes can be seen as essential for Coogler to tell his story, Marvel has a history of clashes with it’s directors over creative power. This has lead directors with more capital in Hollywood (such as Edgar Wright) to split with the production house. When asked if he was worried about the potential problems between Coogler and Marvel, Simien showed no worries, saying “I believe Ryan is going to forge a path that is different than other black filmmakers before him. 'Cause he 's not Spike, he 's a different guy’” (Bernardin, 2016). While Simien’s hope in Coogler is powerful, it is not a stretch to apply the same comment to
This ranges from a variety of television and film portrayals. Coogler instead shows a more honest portrayal of what it means to be a black man in today 's day and age. There is a huge amount of detail paid in the film to code switching, as Gay points out: “the man he is with his mother is different from the man he is with his girlfriend and child, with his friends, and in prison. As director Coogler, who is from the Bay Area, notes, “Often times you’ve got to be different people just to stay alive” (Gay, 2016). Oscar’s true character is found through his constant code switching. He is a caring man, which is something that is evident through every interaction, especially when he is dealing with a relative stranger. The code switching works, for Grant quickly comes to life in the …show more content…
It is worth noting that the studio was originally in talks with Duvernay for the job, but she turned it down citing a lack of seeing “eye to eye” (Sangwei, 2015). She goes on to mention a difference of story perspectives, which is an interesting source of conflict. In the comics Black Panther tells the story of an African king who presides over one of the most technologically advanced civilizations in the world. The story is complex, with themes of colonialism and racism, topics Marvel has yet to tackle in its cinematic universe. Though these themes can be seen as essential for Coogler to tell his story, Marvel has a history of clashes with it’s directors over creative power. This has lead directors with more capital in Hollywood (such as Edgar Wright) to split with the production house. When asked if he was worried about the potential problems between Coogler and Marvel, Simien showed no worries, saying “I believe Ryan is going to forge a path that is different than other black filmmakers before him. 'Cause he 's not Spike, he 's a different guy’” (Bernardin, 2016). While Simien’s hope in Coogler is powerful, it is not a stretch to apply the same comment to