Fresh Kills

For Pete’s sake, if you have been yearning for a good drama at your theater instead of capes and car chases, go see Fresh Kills. If you fiend over Mafia movies and want a fresh take on the subject, go see Fresh Kills. If you have ever wanted to escape from the fate a small place has decreed for you, go see Fresh Kills. This has Generation X plastered all over it like rock band fliers on an Austin telephone pole. The remarkable attention to detail of what the world looked like back then pulls us in like a drawn-out landline cord. It strikes a tone like an Italian-American version of Donnie Darko, except here, all the horror is real instead of hallucination.

Esposito’s brilliant script filters the Mafia world through a child’s perspective, with hints of the family’s true nature being gathered through what is heard through the walls at night. By the time she is old enough to realize what is going on, she is already over her head. The emphasis on how Rose’s quest for independence could be dangerous to her health brings an edge to the story that is delightful to dance along. The only aspect that wavers is the conception of Rose’s quietness in the middle of a very loud world. While it becomes more understandable as she gets older, it makes it trickier to get a firm handle on Rose’s feelings in the beginning. That is only a tiny flaw in this black pearl of a screenplay. 

“Esposito’s brilliant script filters the Mafia world through a child’s perspective…”

As an actress, Esposito is amazing as Francine. Esposito’s portrait of a mob wife in three stark dimensions is a revelation. Her tangible disgust for the forced atrocities is only matched by her determination to defend her family with her life. As a director, Esposito uses her talent and experience as an actress to bring forth some truly world-class performances from her actors. 

Veronica Lee and Madeline Hand turn in some heavy work for such young actresses, with lots of nuance of childhood bitterness present. Bader holds down the picture as the grown Rose, with her emotions rumbling beneath like a human volcano. Sciorra is a welcome sight for sore eyes and still has it, every last bit of it. Cirillio does a smashing downward spiral, as you can really see the drugs chew grown up Allie alive.

Ms. A’zion’s true tour de force here as grown Connie makes Fresh Kills a must-see. Her ability to transmit sensation with no consciousness of the camera being there only hits a few lucky actresses each generation. I am talking a Linda Manz-level good, and as I have that actress’s face tattooed to my chest, I am not speaking lightly. Esposito’s debut is an exciting arrival from a newly minted auteur. Fresh Kills is a fresh take on a familiar subject, with enough splendid brutality to go around the whole table twice.