Denzel Washington and Viola Davis Gloriously Chew the Scenery in Fences Trailer

They are ruthlessly acting their way toward the Oscars.

A new trailer for Fences, or Please Hurry Up and Give Viola Davis an Oscar, has arrived—and its quick, dramatic pace lives up to the hype that has built around the Denzel Washington–directed adaptation of the famed August Wilson play. Put away your lists and theories—this is one of the most anticipated films of the upcoming awards season.

Starring Washington and Davis, Fences is a tense drama set in the 1950s about a former baseball player named Troy (Washington) and his family. Davis plays Rose, Troy’s wife. Though awards-season prognosticators have been murmuring for months that this role will almost certainly earn Davis an Oscar nomination, the teaser focuses heavily on Washington. It hones in on a sharp, brutal monologue he delivers to his son (Jovan Adepo), a juicy bit of scenery chewing that’ll likely land Washington in the awards conversation as well. Davis does, however, get a few moments to shine, particularly toward the end of the clip.

Her performance has also been highly anticipated because of her history with the play. Back in 2010, Davis and Washington co-starred in a lauded revival ofFences on Broadway, and Davis later won a Tony Award for her performance as Rose. It doesn’t happen often, but awards-show lightning of that nature has been known to strike twice.

Earlier this month, Davis was also nominated for an Emmy for her performance in ABC drama How to Get Away with Murder. Many were anticipating that she could win, then go on to scoop up an Oscar for Fences—making her one of the only actresses to pick up both awards in the same season. However, she ended up losing the Emmy to Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany. Nonetheless, Team Davis is sure to forge ahead more forcefully, eyes set on the glinting Oscar statuette before them.

Fences hits theaters on December 25, a well-recognized Oscar holiday in the film world.

Source: vanityfair.com