‘Fresh Kills Review: Jennifer Espositos Mafia Drama Puts The Women In The Spotlight

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Watch the classic American gangster movie canon and you'll be constantly reminded of families (of both types) sticking together. Vito Corleones and Tony Soprano of the world did not hesitate to justify the creation of their criminal organization by the fact that Italians should take care of each other when they emigrate to this country with nothing. And they will defend their ongoing romance by saying they did it all for their wife and kids. Crime may be a way of life in their community, but the most important thing (for them) is that the mafia families always look out for each other.

Of course, stories never end as happily as they begin. Sacred family ties rarely suffer from the greed, law enforcement, and immense selfishness that go along with this work. Sometimes all it takes for a boy named Big Sam to make a rude comment about his cousin's new boat is to provoke a massacre that will bring a family to its knees.

It often happens that if you invite evil into your life, eventually it becomes impossible to make it work. When a mobster lingers long enough to see their beautiful home life ruined by their bad decisions, there's always a moment of regret as they think about what could have been. But who said that what could happen is not so scary?

This is the question that Jennifer Esposito decided to explore in her debut film Fresh Murders. The action takes place in the 1980s. It follows the wife and two daughters of a Staten Island mob boss as they struggle to find material comforts and unspoken expectations from a life in a male-dominated organized crime world. . Esposito cleverly distances the story from any heartbreaking stereotypes we've seen before, such as the "mafia wife" whose house burns down when her husband cheats on her, or the daughters living in fear of their abusive father. Rather, it explores the existential angst that women face in this world when things are (relatively) going well.

The LaRusso family thought the move from Brooklyn to the luxurious McMansion on Staten Island would be a fresh start. They will have more space, the kids will be able to go to a new school without fear of bullying, and Francine (Esposito) will finally move the distance she needs to see what her husband Joe (Domenic Lombardozzi) is up to. But when Francine arrives and discovers that Joe has missed a key moment on the field - they now live next door to gangster Nello (Stellio Savante) - she realizes that neither of them can go far enough to escape the harsh realities of life.

It's a lesson she's trying to teach her daughters Rose (Emily Bader) and Connie (Adessa Ha'tzion), who grew up in the shadows of the people. Fresh Murders covers much of their childhood, from the summer of 1987 to 1998. The big screen allows us to see how two girls form very different opinions about the family business.

Connie was fiercely devoted to her father and greatly appreciated the lifestyle he had given her. He is always quick to protect her and even quicker to marry a young gangster and accept the life of a female thug. Rose approaches everything differently. She discovered that there was life outside of Staten Island and let her dream of going to beauty school and hosting a beauty TV show. When a father gives him gifts, buys a bakery so he can leave without asking if he's interested, it's like a golden chain tying him to a life you're not sure you want.

Francine is in the middle, as if entering life with Rose's idealism and finally embracing Connie's pragmatism. She is loyal to flaws, but often tacitly accepts Rose's big ambitions even when she tries to get rid of them. Esposito is great at playing the role of a protective mother who chooses to live without questioning her life choices, even though part of her knows they can go wrong.

Fresh Murders is at its best when it explores the complex nuances of mob life through the small, everyday moments between Francine and her daughter. However, the main plot, which forms the backbone of the narrative, often turns into a melodrama that is not played out very clearly. At times, films weren't sure what they wanted to be, adding more expressionistic "indie movie moments" to 80s design and cinematography that detracted from the larger story. (There is a shot of someone screaming with joy on an empty night street.)

But the occasional stylistic inconsistencies never spoil the film because the emotional core of Francine, Connie and Rose is very strong. Esposito portrays the three women with the depth usually reserved for male mob bosses, proving time and time again that their decisions are just as difficult as trying to decide who to beat. All three actors play very human roles and should remind everyone that the invisible women that these films seek to upstage are more than capable of creating their own stories.

Fresh Murders premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and is currently in distribution in the United States.

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