A classic trope of American cinema is mob movies, especially Italian-American mafia families. Jennifer Esposito, actor-turned-director, takes the overdone genre and flips it on its head. Fresh Kills tells the stories of the women in these organized crime families.
The story that Esposito tells in her directorial debut follows the story of a wife and two daughters. The movie starts with the Larusso family moving from Brooklyn to Staten Island in hopes of moving far away from their hometown criminal networks and forgetting about the source of her husband’s finances. The youngest daughter Rose, played by the talented Emily Bader, learns about her family’s criminal roots. Rose questions if she breaks free from the mob, will she make enemies out of her mother and sister?
The story of the film is exceptionally emotionally complex. It raises a critical question: How far should you go for your family? It takes the nuances of mob life and streamlines it to everyday moments between Francine, played by Esposito, and her daughters. Esposito tells the tale of these three women with the depth that Hollywood devotes to the mob bosses. The actress can manage to deliver emotional performances with resilience and power.
Esposito paces her film perfectly and roots it in realism. With the lack of dialogue in the movie, the characters can tell the story with only their eyes. The film heavily dives into the 80s production from the set design, costuming, and cinematography. Visually, it is simply beautiful and captures the magic of that era.
Fresh Kills is an exciting, thought-provoking, and ultimately moving film about very different sisters and how they deal with being involved with a crime family. It is a fresh take on a familiar topic.
