Fences

The BAFTA's have been and gone just recently and Viola Davis won the award for supporting female actor. Knowing that she had won it we had to go and check it out.

Fences is a memorable film because of the topic. It's not really about racism or about abuse it's just about a man who sort of loses his way in his life but isn't the worlds best father to his children. It's a serious film about a world that for most people no longer exists, in a time that was more prejudice and difficult than now. Now it is easy to look on this film, to look on the character that Denzel Washington plays with condemning eyes from the present and no understanding of the times back then. As his character develops you start to understand some of the pain that he has experienced in his life but that doesn't mean that he should let himself become more like the person that he didn't want to be. 

The character isn't a likeable character but he is a character that you find yourself wanting to help. You watch the entire film with not so much eagerness but hope that the character will get better, will turn things around, that there will be a happy ending and there sort of is but there also isn't a happy ending. I spent a lot of time before watching the film asking myself why Denzel Washington wasn't a serious contender for 'best lead actor' but when I saw this film I understood why. He was good but he was so overshadowed by Viola Davis it was almost unreal. When she stepped up her game we expected his level to go up but it kinda stayed where it was and maybe that was how the character was supposed to be played but after watching this film no one should question why she won the supporting actor award.

Fences is a strong film with a simple plot and it does seem to focus a lot on the role of the woman at his side, standing there with him wherever he has been, through all his mistakes, showing compassion and mercy and defending her son. She didn't turn away his son that wasn't hers, she tried to hold the family together at all times and she should have actually been the strongest focus of the film.

Great to see Russell Hornsby in a film. Having seen him in Grim for five seasons seeing him make a name for himself in a film with Viola Davis and Denzel Washington. He's a bit of a mixed character, strong and determined to do what makes him feel good, to pursue the career that he wants instead of getting a job that he doesn't like and I can salute the character for that. There comes a time in life when you do need to take a job that you don't like to support your family but until that time comes you should keep trying to do what makes you happy, what helps get you up in the morning and give you some excitement. Apart from Viola Davis what makes this film are the characters, the ones trying to do what they want and live the life that they want and those who do what they have to do and what is right. The combination of both to show all the values that you need and the transgression between the old world and the new world is something fantastic and no one can fault Denzel Washington and his directing ability for this film.