Fruitvale Station: A Humanistic and Vulnerable Glimpse into Black Masculinities

The following essay explores Black masculinity within The Weinstein Company’s theatrical film, Fruitvale Station, a 2013 biographical drama written and directed by Ryan Coogler. The film depicts the last day leading up to the death of Oscar Grant III, a twenty-two year old unarmed Black male murdered by law enforcement. This essay aims to engage in the nuanced and varied attributes of Black masculinity depicted Fruitvale Station, offering audiences the opportunity to understand the spectrum of Black masculinity separate from mass media overrepresentation of Black males as deviant and criminal. Through critical visual and verbal discourse analysis, adopting critical race and inclusive masculinity theories, of Fruitvale Station and the film’s main character, Oscar Grant, the acknowledgement of varied Black male imagery is assessed to challenge audiences, scholars, and students alike to embrace the humanity of the main character and see a humanness that is arguably missing from mass media concerning Black masculinity.