BUILDING FENCES

BUILDING FENCES My last movie of 2017, Fences, was a stunning drama of the first order. It is filled with powerhouse performances from all involved, but especially from Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, whose characters are the true focus of the film...Fences is more than a moving, very human story. It also exposes facets of relationships specific to black family dynamics that run deeper than the traditional racial tropes of many lesser films.  Fences doesn't settle for the obvious. It has a far more complex heart beating with the deeper scars of the black experience in America, many of which come from within the culture as opposed to the harsh external cultural pressures. In Fences, the Black experience is shown through the subtle cracks of difference in the many things we all share in common. I don't want to give the wrong impression. Fences is not a racially charged film. Its focus is character not race, and because of this, it exposes something far deeper. For me, this is what made Fences a sharp, intelligent, thought provoking, ultimately important experience...