The Pit bull Scene

I just finished this film and all in all I thought it was a very earnest attempt at bringing humanity to an imperfect person. That said, after mulling it over and going back and forth, I think the pit bull scene was a misstep. On one hand, my first impression is that it was an interesting use in foreshadowing Grant's impending death. The director has even said that the pit bull was specifically used because the general negative stereotypes against the breed are symbolic of the negative stereotypes of black men. You can also look at the stray dog symbolizing Grant's life having gone astray; the dog and Grant bonding symbolizing Grant's humanity; and the dog's untimely death in spite of this recent reconnection as a direct foreshadowing to Grant's looming fate.

While all this makes the scene theoretically powerful, I think it's a misstep simply because of context. Yes, the film is a dramatized take on actual events, but Coogler interviewed friends and family to insert moments of truth when possible: promising his daughter a trip to Chuck E Cheese; going to the store to buy crabs for his mother's birthday; asking his grandmother how to cook fish to help a customer. This all builds up to the pivotal scene of an event that is still controversial. The multiple videos of the actual scene didn't give definitive clarity on the shooting so much as become a Rorschach test for one's take on social issues and law enforcement proceedings. It's clear where Coolger stands based on his portrayal of the shooting: that Oscar Grant's death was an act of police brutality born out of social injustice. Since crucial details of whether Grant resisted arrest and if he was punched are still debated, it was important for Coolger to be attentive to and inject other actual details while building up to this moment so that he may add validity to his stance.

And that's where the pit bull scene went wrong: it was a pivotal scene that was entirely fabricated. It is out of place for a film that was otherwise so attentive to moments of truth. I don't think it broke the movie, but I think it's worth pointing out in an overall analysis of a very charged film.