The film opens with the actual footage of Oscar Grant being shot in the back by cops and ends with a glimpse at Oscar’s real daughter Tatiana four years after losing her father. This was Ryan Coogler’s first feature film and it is done wonderfully. Michael B. Jordan is a fantastic choice for Grant, as he flows seamlessly from a man eager to fight for his future, to one torn by the difficult choices he has to make. What I appreciated is that Oscar Grant is shown as a three dimensional person as it would have been so easy to focus solely on his positive qualities. We see Grant in jail, fighting with his girlfriend and fighting to get back a job he lost due to his irresponsibility. Of course, we also see him as a doting father, loving son and overall friendly guy who wants more than anything to turn his life around. In Grant’s final hours, he chose to take the BART into San Francisco so he wouldn’t drink and drive after ringing in the New Year. Octavia Spencer as Grant’s mom is also incredible and her utter heart break at the end of the film is hard to watch.
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