Denzel Washington delivers what is forecasted as another Oscar-worthy performance in the upcoming Fences, the big-screen adaptation of August Wilson’s 1983 play that also marks Washington’s third film as director.
In the film, Washington and Viola Davis reprise their roles from the 2010 Broadway revival of the play, with the actor portraying a Negro League baseball player-turned-garbage man struggling to provide for his family in 1950s Pittsburgh.
Washington and Davis won the Tony Award for Best Actor and Best Actress in a play, respectively, for the revival.
The title refers to a fence Washington’s Troy builds throughout the film, which revolves around the character’s relationship with wife Rose and son Cory. “Some people build fences to keep people out, while other people build fences to keep people in,” a character tells Troy of the endeavor.
Fences opens in limited release on December 16th before going wide on Christmas Day.