What We've Scene

        "Based on real events" catches the eyes of many as it crosses the screen. Movies whose story is about true events are some of the most relatable and effective productions. Watching these movies is uplifting and often evokes a sense of empathy or sadness as the story takes unexpected turns which lead to different outcomes. One of these movies is Fruitvale Station and this post is focused on a very important scene in this moving movie.

            Many people enjoy watching movies, but what exactly do they take away from the stories? Besides the obvious enjoyment and connection to a story line, one may take away specific important scenes from a movie. Generally speaking, most people do not remember everything they see in a movie. Therefore, important scenes are usually the parts of a movie that people are more deeply connected to and can describe in more detail. This holds true for the film Fruitvale Station.

            In this film there are many important scenes and one that truly sticks with people is when Oscar and his daughter share their last scene together. Her parents are dropping her off at the babysitter’s where the babysitter was already taking care for six other children. The house seemed to be quite rundown with a somewhat messy environment. As for the camera work in this scene, it zoomed in on the two character’s faces many times throughout their last conversation. This helped to show their emotions. The daughter announces to her father, Oscar, that she hears guns outside and he reassures her that they are simply fireworks as he takes down her hair for the night. Bringing up the sounds of gun shots in this scene is foreshadowing a later scene where Oscar is shot by a policeman.

Another aspect of this important scene is the dialogue. Between the two characters there is a slight resentment due to the fact that Oscar is always leaving his daughter behind as he goes out. To help soothe the mind of his daughter, Oscar promises her that he will be back before she wakes up. Making this promise is an integral point in the story because Oscar never fulfills his promise. He also adds that he is going to take her to one of her favorite places: ChuckyCheese. Also a promise that is never satisfied. As the camera shows the daughter’s expression she at first doesn’t believe her father and until the very last second she doesn’t let him leave. She even announces that she doesn’t want her father to leave which becomes a larger point than anyone would expect due to the fact that if he hadn’t left, then he would most likely not have gotten shot. All of these aspects create this important scene and enhance its impact on the movie as well as the audience.

During the movie, this scene occurs at the forty-six minute mark approximately. Without this ‘good-bye’ scene between a father and daughter, there would not have been closer between these characters. Of course, it is still upsetting to have a character die, but knowing this closure has already happened eases the pain. All in all, this scene enhances the production and ties all of the emotions together in a form of closer that brings everything together.