Viola Davis as Rose Lee Maxson in Fences
Best Supporting Actress at the 89th Annual Oscars (2016)
Notable Quote:
“I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot as you!”
Synopsis:
Fences is the story of Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington), a tempestuous but hard-working guy, who navigates life as a middle-aged Black man in 1950s Pittsburgh. He does so by heavily leaning on his wife Rose (Viola Davis), who does all his emotional and financial labor for him. The more things change … sigh.
The character:
Long-suffering wife alert! Early in this movie, Troy’s friend says of his wife, “Rose will keep you straight,” and that’s certainly true, whether Rose wants the job or not. Troy works hard, but he’s a drinker, and a cheater, and he sucks at maintaining his relationships, so it falls to Rose to manage the money, watch out for the kids, and keep everything from falling apart. She’s the backbone of the family. It’s a frustratingly realistic role: as the woman of the family, Rose has to shoulder so many burdens that are heaped on her without anyone thinking twice about it.
However, the film has a lot of insight into the ways that women gets forced into this role, so Rose isn’t just some wife who puts up with bullshit. She gets several very powerful moments to speak for herself, and in these moments, she makes it clear that she made intentional choices in marrying and staying with Troy. As a Black woman in 50s America, she decided that was what would give her the best life possible, and that means that though her story is deeply sad, she still has a lot of agency. Even in the background, she’s a realized person, not a stock character.
The performance:
Viola Davis is so good in everything that’s easy to take her for granted, but damn, she really is incredible. This isn’t even my favorite performance of hers, but I love that she gets a lot of material to work with. In particular, she’s given several monologues in which she gets to go fully scorched earth with these powerful speeches. One of Davis’s biggest strengths is her ability to let snot and tears roll freely. That sounds facetious, but I mean it sincerely: she keeps her emotions restrained until it’s time to let them out, and then she puts everything on display.
But I also want to praise those calmer moments. Despite going all out when necessary, Viola Davis knows how to emote quietly. Unlike her husband, Rose is not a woman prone to major tantrums, and Davis captures her self-possessed frustration and sadness, as well as her deep, constant love for Troy. It makes Rose’s major outburst hit even harder. It’s clear throughout that Davis deeply understands the character she’s portraying.
The movie:
Fences is very much a character study of Troy, an incredibly frustrating man who spends much of the movie delivering patronizing lectures. It’s to Denzel Washington’s credit that he’s able to maintain his charisma, even while inhabiting such an exhausting person. This movie is psychologically intelligent about how parents pass on the abuse that they received as children, and about how men are trained to react to lost opportunities. It can be an emotionally difficult watch, but it’s very insightful, and beautifully complex.
Was the Oscar deserved?
Yes, almost everything Viola Davis does deserves an Oscar.