Film Screening: Fences

Directed by and starring Denzel Washington, from a screenplay by August Wilson based on his classic 1985 stage play, Fences (2016, PG-13) is the story of a working-class African American father trying to raise his family in 1950s Pittsburgh while coming to terms with the events of his life. Troy Maxson is a sanitation worker who once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but was deemed too old by the time the major leagues finally began admitting black athletes in 1947. Bitter over his missed opportunity, Troy creates further tension in his family when he squashes his son's chance to meet a college football recruiter. August Wilson passed away in 2005 without having achieved his longtime goal of bringing Fences to the big screen. Denzel Washington and Viola Davis starred together in the 2010 Broadway revival, and their beautifully crafted film maintains all the power of Wilson’s original stage version.