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Letter from Cannes: Why "Fruitvale Station" Is Already an Oscar
Shoo-In  Ryan Coogler's first-time feature scores another film-
festival hit   Michael B. Jordan as Oscar Grant in Fruitvale
Station.   The answer—at least when it comes to Ryan Coogler's
Fruitvale Station, is yes. Definitely. Absolutely—yes. The
movie—which I just viewed, wetly, at Cannes's Un Certain Regarde
competition—tells the story of Oscar Grant, who was famously
shot dead by a BART police officer in Oakland's Fruitvale
station in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2009. Starring Michael B.
Jordan (best known for his roles in The Wire and Friday Night
Lights), it's a powerful character study that opens up a window
into Grant’s life, offering a glimmer of hope and redemption
before it reaches its tragic end.  The first hour feels slow in
places, but it's slow with a purpose. We get ample evidence of
Grant’s failings—his time in San Quentin (which comes back to
haunt him during his ill-