'Fences': A heartfelt home run

Another film closing out 2016 was "Fences", an extremely creative, edgy and multi layered family drama – filled with a heavenly performance by Viola Davis, as well as her supporting cast (Denzel Washington, his sons and close friend).

With somewhat overly simple cinematography (as the film mimicked the Broadway play), this film went round after round tackling many angles of human nature – its frailty, flaws, hopes and dreams (some elusive).

Focused on raising a family in a "blue collar" Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania setting – including two boys – early on, Washington and Davis render a "Fred Astaire/Ginger Roger's” like dancing dialogue of their life, both currently and days gone by. These spectacular exchanges envelop their life together and, more broadly, relationships in general – expressing their love, friendship and unspoken insecurities.

While Washington attempts to instill deeply genuine – and at times overbearing – parenting, the writer very delicately and necessarily presents a maze of history that reflects the origins, tugging at the heartstrings of the audience.

The writer and director cleverly juggle Washington's attempts to take care of his family, while his haunting past weighs on his ability to do so.

Though some of the conflicts and scenarios are predictable, many are highly relatable, nevertheless.

Others, however, breach this dynamic, and represent an unprecedented core human goodness – in the face of tremendous hurt and adversity, and without compromising one's dignity and self-respect.

The superior acting performances by all – even if the Denzel "tough guy image" emerges here and there – connect the viewer to moments in one's own life, even if substituting personal details.

This film weaves together so many important life lessons – moral, societal and spiritual – without any one element taking precedence or overshadowing the other.

This deeply emotional story delivers a perfect mixture of conflict, one that is not only a genuine representation of life, but a reminder of a never ending human search – improving oneself.

Missing this would be a grave mistake.

****/*****

Four out of Five Stars