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Fences
2016 139 min Canada, United States of America PG-13 18+
★8.0
Drama
Director: Denzel Washington
Trailers
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Description
In 1950s Pittsburgh, a frustrated African-American father struggles with the constraints of poverty, racism, and his own inner demons as he tries to raise a family.
Budget:
$24M
US Gross:
$57.68M
Worldwide:
$64.4M
Starring
Denzel Washington
Actor
Viola Davis
Actor
Stephen McKinley Henderson
Actor
Awards
Academy Awards 2017
— Best Supporting Actress
BAFTA 2017
— Best Supporting Actress
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2017
— Best Supporting Actress
Academy Awards 2017
— Best Picture
Golden Globe 2017
— Best Actor (Drama)
BAFTA 2017
— Best Supporting Actress
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2017
— Best Cast Ensemble
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2017
— Best Supporting Actress
Golden Globe 2017
— Best Supporting Actress
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2017
— Best Actor
Key opinion
Fences is widely praised as a powerful, dialogue-driven chamber drama anchored by exceptional performances from Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. While critics and audiences admire its thematic depth and faithfulness to August Wilson’s play, the film's static, theatrical style and slow pacing can feel tedious to viewers seeking a more traditional cinematic experience.
| Acting | Denzel Washington and Viola Davis deliver powerhouse performances that carry the emotional weight of the narrative. | |
| Screenplay | The script retains the intellectual and emotional power of the source material through sharp, character-defining dialogue. | |
| Production | The production design effectively captures 1950s working-class life while emphasizing the suffocating, enclosed atmosphere of the family home. | |
| Direction | The film’s faithfulness to the original play translates into a static, dialogue-heavy presentation that some find visually uninspired and others find deeply intimate. | |
| Pacing | The slow, contemplative pacing rewards viewers who engage with the family dynamics, but it risks alienating mainstream audiences expecting more kinetic storytelling. |