Fences

Adapted by Denzel Washington from a screenplay by August Wilson, based on Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, Washington’s third feature as director is his most assured yet. A look at the life of a black American blue collar family in the 1950s, it’s also a meditation on father-son relationships and the perils and pitfalls involved in navigating a hostile society. The performances are first rate, and the film has an authentic period feel and gravitas.