Fresh Kills (film)

Fresh Kills
Release poster
Directed byJennifer Esposito
Written byJennifer Esposito
Produced by
  • Leslie Ann Owen
  • Jennifer Esposito
  • Christine Crokos
  • Samantha Sprecher
Starring
CinematographyBen Hardwicke
Edited byTodd Sandler
Music byTheodosia Roussos
Production
companies
Distributed byQuiver Distribution
Release dates
  • June 16, 2023 (2023-06-16) (Tribeca)
  • June 14, 2024 (2024-06-14) (United States)
Running time
120 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$68,310[2]

Fresh Kills is a 2023 American drama film marking the directorial debut of Jennifer Esposito, who also wrote and co-produced it. The film stars Esposito, Emily Bader, Odessa A'zion, Domenick Lombardozzi, Nicholas Cirillo and Annabella Sciorra.

Fresh Kills was released in the United States on June 14, 2024.

Premise

In 1980s New York City, Francine is married into a Brooklyn organised crime family, who have just moved to the more spacious surroundings of Staten Island. However, for her and her daughters Rose and Connie the shadow of the mafia remains ever present.[3]

Cast

Production

Jennifer Esposito told Variety that the idea for the script had been “percolating” in her mind since she was 16 years-old and growing up on Staten Island.[4]

Esposito told Deadline Hollywood in October 2021, she had struggled to get financing for the project from financiers and distributors due to the lack of male lead actors in the film. Funding instead arrived from a unique source, with Deadline Hollywood calling it “the first feature film financed and traded by a global group of fan investors via this first-of-its-kind IPO on Upstream Exchange, the Ethereum-powered digital stock exchange”.[5]

In November 2021, Annabella Sciorra joined Esposito in the cast playing Christine, the sister of Esposito’s character Francine.[6] Odessa A'zion and Emily Bader joined the cast in December 2021 as Francine’s daughters.[7]

Principal photography took place on Staten Island in February 2022.[8]

Release

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 16, 2023.[9] Later that year it was shown at the Red Sea International Film Festival.[10]

Fresh Kills was released in the United States on June 14, 2024.[11]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Fresh Kills". Tribecafilm. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  2. ^ "Fresh Kills (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Zilko, Christian (June 16, 2023). "'Fresh Kills' Review: Jennifer Esposito's Mafia Drama Puts the Women in the Spotlight". Indie Wire. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Malkin, Marc (June 5, 2023). "Jennifer Esposito Talks Directorial Debut 'Fresh Kills' and Why She Refused to Audition for 'The Sopranos". Variety.
  5. ^ Complex, Valerie (October 27, 2021). "Jennifer Esposito Makes Directorial Debut With 'Fresh Kills'; The First Film Financed And Traded By Global Fan Base". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (November 18, 2021). "Annabella Sciorra to Star in Crime Drama 'Fresh Kills' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Complex, Valerie (December 13, 2021). "Odessa A'zion And Emily Bader Will Star With Annabella Sciorra And Jennifer Esposito In 'Fresh Kills'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  8. ^ Lovallo, Lauren (March 16, 2022). "New independent drama 'Fresh Kills' spotted filming at Alfonso's". Silive.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  9. ^ Leffler, Rebecca (October 24, 2023). "The Exchange boards Jennifer Esposito's mother-daughter mob drama 'Fresh Kills' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "Jennifer Esposito's 'Fresh Kills' to get its world premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival". Arabnews. November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "'Fresh Kills': Quiver Distribution Acquires Jennifer Esposito's Directorial Debut Film And Sets For Spring Theatrical Release". Deadline Hollywood. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "Fresh Kills". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 1, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata