Written by Joe Compton
FRESH KILLS
Follows the story of the loyal women of an organized crime family that dominated some of the boroughs of New York City in the late 20th century.
Written & Driected by Jennifer Esposito
Director of Photography: Ben Hardwicke
Editor: Todd Sandler
Stars: Jennifer Esposito, Annabella Sciorra, Odessa A’zion
Genre: Crime/Drama
WHAT THIS MOVIE DOES WELL: There's a quiet disarming subtlety to the direction of where this movie goes that I feel like in lesser hands would fail to have the impact it ultimately has. Those hands are that of veteran actor Jennifer Esposito, making her directorial debut, and doing so with the kind of grit and furiosity that I feel like is often over glamourousized or just simply smoothed over in a lot of other crime films. Even in the really, really good ones. This has that Mean Streets vibe and yet there is a level that even Mean Streets couldn't touch that Fresh Kills does. A lot of that is the performances, one in particular you'll read about in the sentences to come here, but I feel like also a lot of credit has to go to the design and overall look of this film. For that Esposito turns to DP Ben Hardwicke and Production Designer T. V. Alexander. Hardwicke's filtering and lighting grabs you with this real dirty and often times messy feel and yet still honors a period in time that has an interesting look of its own in the late 70's/early 80's into the 90's. No doubt with help from Alexander's due dillegence for authencity. It's because of that feeling of what your eyes are absorbing, and then the actors working within that space, that you really get a sense of maybe how all to real the mob life really was and even among the good times how much it has this stink to it that is hard to explain but easy to feel. There are incredible moments just when you think it's going to be glamourized that it suddenly shifts. All in manner of as if it was using a lint brush to remove wet dog hair from a black sweater.
In my humble opinion the acting on display here really begins with an award recoginizing type performance from Odessa A'zion. Connie is the catalyst for all that Rose experiences and in a lot of ways how she feels as this lifetime of shit unfolds. Emily Bader who plays Rose has this incredible ability in which I love how controlled she is in moments of stillness where you can literally touch the screen and brace yourself for what comes next. Or in the case of one my favorite scenes in the movie, lean back and be awed by what you just witnessed. It's a moment toward the end in which the director Esposito shares, as she also acts in this film, because when you are as talented as she is, why wouldn't you utilize that, and she is very goodin a limited capacity here. Esposito also turns to a veteran actor in Dominic Lombardozzi to anchor and be the foil of existence for all the women in his life here. His best moments are the ones where you can see why he was who needed to play Joe Larusso. Back to Esposito though, like I said she is in my favorite moment as a shared experience that I think could eaisly become an iconic moment in all of Mob movie history.
WHY CHAMPION THIS MOVIE: This piece of art has a lot to unpack and a lot to absorb and it is the quintessential example as to why I love Independent film. It takes risks and comes at a familiar story from an unfamiliar angle and does to make it more unique enough to say this feels more like a mob documentary than a crime movie. I think if you are somone who doesn't get mobor crime movies too much because they are outwrought with violence and evil than I think this might be the movie that changes your mind or at least gives you an understanding of why these movies are so rich and powerful. You can tell Esposito had a clear vision, a clear point of view, and I don't know if this was all born out of her trying to be cast in various Mob Movies and shows over the years that do have a little more gloss on them than what I sure she remembers about her childhood in these areas being a Brooklyn girl in the 70's and 80's. Whatever the motivation was to write this, it's a truimph and I can't wait to experience another Jennifer Esposito helmed and lead film.
WHY CHAMPION THIS MOVIE: This piece of art has a lot to unpack and a lot to absorb and it is the quintessential example as to why I love Independent film. It takes risks and comes at a familiar story from an unfamiliar angle and does to make it more unique enough to say this feels more like a mob documentary than a crime movie. I think if you are somone who doesn't get mobor crime movies too much because they are outwrought with violence and evil than I think this might be the movie that changes your mind or at least gives you an understanding of why these movies are so rich and powerful. You can tell Esposito had a clear vision, a clear point of view, and I don't know if this was all born out of her trying to be cast in various Mob Movies and shows over the years that do have a little more gloss on them than what I sure she remembers about her childhood in these areas being a Brooklyn girl in the 70's and 80's. Whatever the motivation was to write this, it's a truimph and I can't wait to experience another Jennifer Esposito helmed and lead film.
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