When You Realize Your Own Flaws

Tonight's marathon is centered around the theme of people realizing their own flaws in regards to their own prejudices and racism, beginning a path towards their own personal redemption. Beginning with the story of Oscar Grant, a young and flawed individual who was gunned down on the platform of Fruitvale Station on New Years Day 2009, we see the story arc of several larger than life individuals who either begin their journey as criminals or racists and by the end of the film endure a transformation that begins to change their lives for the better. Three major themes that run rampant throughout tonight's marathon are racism, loss and redemption. Undeniably powerful and deeply moving, tonight's marathon consists of the following:

Fruitvale Station 2012, American History X 1999, Monsters Ball 2001, Gran Tarino 2008, and Crash 2005

As you can see, race plays a pivotal role in tonight's marathon because all of the individuals in this movie that experience change are people who either realize and confront their own racism or are being discriminated against for stereotypical reasons. The first movie of the night is the 2013 critically acclaimed drama titled Fruitvale Station starring Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, and Melonie Diaz. The film centers around a real life figure named Oscar Grant on his final day alive during New Years Eve 2009. Grant's journey is shown to be one in which he begins a realization of his own personal flaws and demons such as selling drugs, being unfaithful to his girlfriend, and letting his mother down by being in jail multiple times for criminal activities. Before the BART tragedy is shown at the climax of the film, Grant's humanity is shown as he begins a path towards becoming a better person and wanting to be there for his family. The killing of Oscar Grant is a plot device that comes back full circle at the end of this marathon. The point of Fruitvale Station is to show that even though Oscar Grant as a person was far from perfect, he began to change his life for the better and did not deserve what ultimately happened to him. The second film in the lineup is American History X starring Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, and Beverly D Angelo. Generally considered to be one of the greatest anti-racist films ever conceived, the movie centers around a former Neo-Nazi played brilliantly by Edward Norton being released from jail for killing two people for attempting to steal his truck. When realizing his own mistakes, he tries to prevent his brother from going down a similar path. Generally considered one of Edward Norton's finest acting achievements next to Fight Club, he gives a powerful performance of a young man who ended up in the wrong crowd, being taught beliefs and ideals which he soon came to realize were false, and fights to keep his own younger brother from following suit. American History X explores different kinds of racism and facts with one scene in particular discussing the Rodney King beating, giving two different perspectives on the matter. One can almost pretend that the incident at Fruitvale Station could be the topic their discussing in that scene and asking the question of whether it was right or wrong. The end of American History X goes in line with the end of Fruitvale Station, representing two tragedies that occur due to acts of prejudice and misunderstanding. The third film in the lineup is Monsters Ball staring Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thorton, and Heath Ledger. In this film a racist prison guard played by Billy Bob Thorton begins to reexamine his own prejudice after a personal tragedy involving his son played by Heath Ledger. He ends up falling for the wife of a man he executed on death row, going against his fathers wishes. This film is monumental not just for being a thought provoking romantic drama that centers around the issue of race but also because it presented Halle Berry with the first Academy Award for an African American woman in the best lead actress category of the Oscars. The fourth film in the lineup is Clint Eastwood's masterpiece titled Gran Tarino. This story centers around a racist Korean war veteran named Walt Kowalski who ends up befriending a Hmong teenager after trying to steal his 1972 Gran Tarino, Eastwood's character starts off as hateful and awkward to be around if you're nonwhite but as the film progresses, he begins to realize that he has more in common with the Hmong family than his own blood, and tries to protect them from their ruthless cousins. The tragedy theme def comes intruitvale Stato play here with the end of Gran Tarino mirroring the end of American History X and Fruitvale Station. Monsters Balls tragedy comes from the loss of the wifes husband and the prison guards son taking his own life, yet through tragedy it brought true love between the wife and the guard. The fifth and final film of the night ties everything together in Paul Haggis 2005 Oscar winning drama Crash. Crash centers around a group of Los Angeles individuals with vastly different lifestyles and views on race slowly coming together bringing the themes of race, loss and redemption home. One of the key figures in Crash who experience redemption is the character of Officer John Ryan played by Matt Dillon. His character is shown to be one of the worst examples of a racist police officer who ends up finding his own path to redemption through rescuing a woman he saved from a car accident, whom he sexually harrassed the night prior. Other characters that appear to have received redemption are Sandra Bullock and Ludacris characters who begin by upholding their own racial prejudices though soon learn throughout the course of the movie that their hatred is only holding them down and causing them more pain. The tragedy at the end of the movie concerning Larenz Tate's character mirrors the end of Fruitvale Station which coincidentally is the beginning of the marathon, making everything come full circle

So what's the message behind all of these films? Fruitvale Station says that no matter what flaw that Oscar Grant had, he was still a human being who was trying to better himself for his family and ultimately didn't deserve what he got in the end. American History X says that hatred is baggage and that life is too short to hold racism against someone. Your past sins if left unattended to will catch up to you one way or another. Monsters Ball says that true love has no barrier and if two people really want to be together, then nothing else matters including race. Gran Tarino is essentially a story of a racist old man who learns to love someone who is of different ethnicity, and that the people you would least expect to would ultimately have more in common with you than your own kind. The final message in Crash is that racism is a negative trait and that we all have a choice whether to reject it or create the same mistakes of the past. The most unusual experiences can also be the most life changing ones.

Our characters for this evening: