The film depicts the last day of the life of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old from Hayward, California, before he was fatally shot by BART Police in the early morning hours of January 1, 2009.

It begins with actual footage of Oscar and his friends being detained by BART Police at the Fruitvale station in Oakland on January 1, 2009, at 2:15 a.m., right before the shooting.

In the evening, he attends a birthday party for his mother, Wanda, and agrees to take the BART train to see fireworks and other New Year's festivities in San Francisco, since she worries about him driving.

Onscreen text describes the aftermath: Oscar's killing sparked a series of protests and riots across the city after several witnesses recorded the incident with cellphones and video cameras.

Oscar Grant's real-life mother, Wanda Johnson, has a small role in the film as Mrs. Stacy, Tatiana's preschool teacher.

Ryan Coogler was a graduate student at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts when Grant was shot on January 1, 2009.

[9][10] Coogler met with advisers of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and developed the script with the help of creative advisors Tyger Williams, Jessie Nelson and Zach Sklar.

[13] Notable investors included Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, a bestselling novel adapted as a successful film, for which Spencer won an Oscar.

[22] The Weinstein Company commissioned three murals to be painted in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco by street artists Ron English, Lydia Emily, and LNY in anticipation of the film.

[26] This drew some criticism, with publicist Angie Meyer stating: "It's absolutely inappropriate and morally wrong to use a high-profile case to create publicity and buzz around a movie release.

"[27] As part of its film promotion, the Weinstein Co. set up the "I am __" campaign to encourage people to share stories of overcoming acts of social injustice or mistreatment, and to upload photos or other artworks related to those experiences.

[32] The film's Oakland premiere was a private screening held at the Grand Lake Theater on June 20, 2013,[33] and it opened in select additional markets on July 12,[34] about the same time as the verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman for shooting Trayvon Martin.

He also praised the lead performances, writing that, "As Oscar, Jordan at moments gives off vibes of a very young Denzel Washington in the way he combines gentleness and toughness; he effortlessly draws the viewer in toward him.

"[49] Writing for The Village Voice, chief film critic Stephanie Zacharek called Fruitvale Station "a restrained but forceful picture that captures some of the texture and detail of one human life", and praised Coogler, writing that he "dramatizes Oscar's last day by choosing not to dramatize it: The events unfold casually, without any particular scheme.

"[50] In his Sundance festival wrap-up, critic Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote of the film: "Made with assurance and quiet emotion, this unexpectedly devastating drama based on the real life 2009 shooting of an unarmed young black man at an Oakland Fruitvale Station of BART (San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit System - Fruitvale Station) impressed everyone as the work of an exceptional filmmaker.

"[51] In a more mixed review, Geoff Berkshire of Variety called the film "a well-intentioned attempt to put a human face on the tragic headlines surrounding Oscar Grant."

He praised Jordan's performance, but critiqued the "relentlessly positive portrayal" of the film's subject, saying: "Best viewed as an ode to victim's rights, Fruitvale forgoes nuanced drama for heart-tugging, head-shaking and rabble-rousing.