Fences (film)

Fences is a 2016 American period drama film starring, produced and directed by Denzel Washington and written by August Wilson. It is based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning 1985 play of the same name. In addition to Washington, the film also stars Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson and Saniyya Sidney. Fences was released in the United States on December 16, 2016, by Paramount Pictures.

About Fences (film) in brief

Summary Fences (film)Fences is a 2016 American period drama film starring, produced and directed by Denzel Washington and written by August Wilson. It is based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning 1985 play of the same name. In addition to Washington, the film also stars Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson and Saniyya Sidney. Fences was released in the United States on December 16, 2016, by Paramount Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed at Washington’s performance and direction, Davis’s performance, the screenplay, pacing, cinematography and emotional tone. It was also a commercial success, grossing USD 64 million against a USD 24 million production budget. The film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2016, and was nominated for numerous awards, including four Oscar nominations at the 89th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay, with Davis winning for her performance. In 1950s Pittsburgh, Troy Maxson lives with his wife Rose and their son Cory, and works as a garbage collector alongside his best friend, Jim Bono.

Troy left home at 14 after beating up his abusive father, and became a robber to sustain himself. While serving prison time for killing a man during a robbery, he met Bono and revealed himself to be a talented baseball player. He then played in the professional Negro Leagues; but he never made it to Major League Baseball, which held a color barrier until 1947. Troy claims to have survived a near-fatal bout of pneumonia in his youth by defeating Death in a wrestling match, upon which Death vowed to return for a rematch. After Troy’s son from a previous relationship, visits him on Troy’s payday to borrow money, this upsets Troy, who believes a man has a responsibility to work hard to find his own way and provide for his family. After complaining about his company’s racist employment practices, Troy is promoted to driving the garbage truck, becoming the first African-American to do so in Pittsburgh.