Oscar buzz has been following Fruitvale Station since the film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The film, about the last day in the life of Bay Area youth Oscar Grant before he was killed by a transit police officer, earned standing ovations at both Sundance and Cannes, and is being dubbed this year's Beasts of the Southern Wild: the indie film to break through to the mainstream.
Fruitvale Station, produced by Weinstein Company in association with BET Films, opens in select cities this Friday, July 12, is a hit with critics as well. "It will rock your world," says David Edelstien of New York Magazine, "and, if the life of Oscar Grant means anything, compel you to work to change it."

The Hollywood Reporter praises director Ryan Coogler's script and calls the performances by Michael B. Jordan and Melonie Diaz "career-making." 

"The movie is the model of decency and respect, and does honor to a life unjustly ended," says the New Yorker. "It offers few surprises but is nonetheless shocking."

David D'Arcy from Screen Daily writes, "with a sympathetic and not too heavy hand, Fruitvale Station takes its audience through the constant challenges to Black family life: poverty, debt, crime, and the prospect that an encounter with the police can have deadly consequences."

The film, also starring Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and produced by Forest Whitaker, has had an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and audiences. With the Trayvon Martin trial in full-swing, Fruitvale Station offers a humanizing look at current events. 

Check out Fruitvale Station this Friday to see what all the fuss is about!

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.

(Photo: The Weinstein Company)