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Families are messy and difficult and complicated. Each one is an intricate web made up of flawed people connected by relationships that combine years of love and laughter and challenges and hurts into one tangled package. And Fences, the latest film from director Denzel Washington, captures every facet of one struggling family.
Fences follows the story of a seemingly happy family in 1950s Pittsburgh. Troy Maxson (Washington) is a hard-working husband and father who provides for his family by working on a garbage truck. After work every Friday, he sits on the back porch with a bottle of gin and his good friend, Bono (Stephen Henderson), telling long, fascinating tales that his wife, Rose (Viola Davis), constantly laughs off. But it soon becomes clear that everything isn’t perfect for the Maxson family. And as teenage son Cory (Jovan Adepo) battles with his father to stay on the football team and earn himself a college scholarship, Troy’s own mistakes come back to haunt him.
Adapted from the play by August Wilson, Fences is a deep and layered film about a family that isn’t nearly as perfect as it appears. On the surface, Troy and Rose have it all: their own home, an easy-going, loving relationship, a wonderful family, a gifted son whose talent and intellect are sure to take him far. But those outward appearances hide so many hidden challenges and hurts. And as father and son slowly build a fence in their yard, Rose hopes to keep her loved ones in, while Troy only keeps everything out.
The characters here are remarkably complex, and the cast members pour everything into their roles. Davis is alternately strong and vulnerable as Rose. She’s a loving, caring mother who laughs off Troy’s big talk and can easily hold her own against his playful verbal sparring. Yet she also displays a flood of emotions when faced with the realities of her situation.
Washington, meanwhile, gives an undeniably award-worthy performance as Troy. When he holds court on his back porch, he’s so expressive, so exuberant, so larger-than-life that you can’t help but smile and laugh with him. But his beaming smile and captivating monologues often betray his character’s anger, his disappointment, his desperation, and his selfishness. It’s a challenging role—and a challenging character, too—but Washington’s strength and irresistible charm carry this character-driven family drama.
Fences may seem like a simple film—mostly just a bunch of conversations out on the back porch. And its stage roots can sometimes feel a little too obvious. But these complicated characters and moving performances make it the kind of film that grows and challenges and lingers long after the last line is spoken.
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