Some people build fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in.
Overview
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.6/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.64/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 79
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Denzel Washington
Production
Paramount Pictures, MACRO, Bron Studios
Cast
Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, Saniyya Sidney, Lesley Boone, Christopher Mele, Jason Silvis, Tra'Waan Coles, Joe Fishel, Cara Clark, Daniel James
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A powerful, performance-driven adaptation of August Wilson’s play, anchored by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis at the top of their game. It’s talky, stage-bound, and emotionally bruising, but the writing and acting make the family conflict feel lived-in and devastating.
Best for
Viewers who love actor’s showcases and dialogue-heavy drama
Fans of intimate family conflict and character studies
People interested in Black American life, labor, and generational tension
Audiences who appreciate filmed-theater aesthetics and literary adaptations
Skip if
You want fast pacing or a plot-heavy drama
You dislike stage-like blocking and extended conversations
You prefer hopeful or cathartic family stories
You’re not in the mood for a tense, emotionally confrontational film
Overview
Fences is built like a pressure cooker. August Wilson’s language carries the film, and Denzel Washington mostly trusts the material to do the heavy lifting, which gives the drama a formal, almost theatrical intensity. The result can feel static at times, but it also keeps every argument, confession, and silence sharply focused.
Worth noting
The film lives or dies on its performances, and Viola Davis is the emotional center of gravity. Denzel Washington’s Troy is complicated, charismatic, and infuriating in equal measure, a man whose bitterness spills into every corner of his home. The family dynamics feel painfully specific, especially in the way love and resentment coexist.
Bottom line
This is not a breezy watch, and it doesn’t try to be. But if you respond to richly written domestic drama and powerhouse acting, it’s a strong, serious adaptation with real force. It’s less about plot than accumulation: wounds, excuses, disappointments, and the cost of living with them.
Top Letterboxd reviews
roberta (2.5★) · 1575 likes
denzel washington needs to shut the hell up: the movie (2016)
#1 gizmo fan (3.5★) · 863 likes
I have no sympathy for the cheating man. especially one that cheats on viola davis. fuck off buddy.
Lucy (3★) · 827 likes
viola davis (born august 11, 1965) is an american producer and actress of stage, screen, and television. after graduating from the juilliard school in 1993,
Lucy (2.5★) · 690 likes
i still can't believe that viola davis INVENTED acting
davidehrlich (3.5★) · 444 likes
On stage, “Fences” is an incredible play — a landmark of American art (black or otherwise), August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning portrait of a family in crisis unflinchingly weighs the smallness of human lives against the immensity of those living them. And on screen in Denzel Washington’s adaptation, “Fences” is…an incredible play.
Starring and directed by the actor (who reprises the role he played in the show’s 2010 revival on Broadway, for which he won a Tony), the film is a… more