Troy (Denzel Washington) is a hard man, but Rose (Viola Davis) loves him anyway, and his sons begrudgingly respect him. But over time, his stubbornness, his upbringing, and his experience of racism drive him farther and farther away from the rest of his family. Ultimately, each person must choose how they’ll handle the adversity, and whether forgiveness is possible.
Without giving too much away, it’s clear that Troy’s childhood caused serious fractures in his understanding of what it means to be a man, a husband, and a father. Choices he made derailed his athletic career, even landing him in prison. Along the way, he acquired the friendship of Bono (Stephen Henderson), who continually tries to serve as the voice of reason and wisdom. But Troy continues to follow his own lead – straying outside of the areas that are safest and best.
“Some people believe people build fences to keep people out; some people build fences to keep people in.”–Bono
Two situations cause the story to come to a place of confrontation, past the limits of sustainable conflict. In other words, something has to give. Troy dallies in relationships outside of his marriage; Troy’s younger son, Cory (Jovan Adepo), wants to be a football star but his father stubbornly interferes. Ultimately, the fractures will be too great – the boundaries protecting the family from the outside and each other will be broken down, like a fence. Once that happens, the only thing left to do is to decide whether to forgive or hold onto the anger that’s left when everything falls apart.
Special features on the Blu-ray Combo Pack include the development of the award-winning play for the screen in “Expanding the Audience,” as well as special looks into Washington and the character of Rose. Audiences will also get a vision of screenwriter/playwright August Wilson’s Hill District.
