Fruitvale , now Fruitvale Station , debuted to an enormous amount of critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival when it premiered at the festival. Then the Weinstein Brothers backed the film , and their odds for being a huge Oscar contender were basically solidified.
With the release of the extraordinary poster, it seems like the Weinsteins are serious about the race this year after miscalculating their chances last year. As it is they can practically coast on the engaging premise of Fruitvale Station — a riveting true story that has already captured early audiences, and took top honor at the Sundance Film Festival.
The official synopsis for Fruitvale Station reads as follows:
“Filmmaker Ryan Coogler makes his feature directorial debut with this drama centered on the tragic shooting of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a vibrant 22-year-old Bay Area father who was senselessly gunned down by BART officers on New Year’s Day in 2009, and whose murder sent shockwaves through the nation after being captured on camera by his fellow passengers. Octavia L. Spencer, Melonie Diaz, and Kevin Durand co-star.”
However there’s one problem that might stand in its way. When the studio released the theatrical date for a July 12 opening, we were puzzled . The Weinsteins released The Master within the typical Oscar time frame, but even its September 21 opening seemed to add to a series of problems for that campaign. The July release date for Fruitvale Station is a little problematic, but we’re not convinced that the Weinstein Bros aren’t going to pull a fast one on us.
For arguments sake, the Weinstein Brothers could be planning to release the film as a limited, and then keep the buzz running deep into late September with rolling release dates, which could prove to go in their favor. If not, the company does have The Butler as a huge contender. Either way they have a lot on their hands come Oscar season, and it will be interesting to see how this all pans out come award season.
Check out the poster for Fruitvale Station here.