FRESH KILLS is the film that everyone should be talking about. In an industry primarily dominated by male storytellers and limiting female roles, multi-hyphenate Hamptonite Jennifer Esposito sets out not only to reframe the genre of ‘Mob Movies,’ but to remind us of the art of storytelling as she stars in her writing and directorial debut, FRESH KILLS.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island, Esposito writes the story of a family plagued with the misfortunes that accompany the life of an up-and-coming mafia boss. But, rather than following the standard mob movie formula centered on machismo men, their wrongdoings, and their accessory women, FRESH KILLS taps into something far more untamed and interesting: the female rage that boils over from bad male behavior not shown on screen.

“Synopsis: In her writing & directing debut, veteran actress Jennifer Esposito (Crash, Summer of Sam, Samantha Who, Blue Bloods) brings the late 1980s/early 1990s Staten Island to vivid life through the lens of Rose Larusso (Emily Bader), an inquisitive young woman who discovers her father (Domenick Lombardozzi) is an emerging mafia kingpin. Rose’s growing desire to break free from the path set before her soon threatens her existence and alienates her from her closest allies: her mother (Esposito), aunt (Annabella Sciorra) and sister (Odessa A’zion). Smart, thrilling, and nuanced, FRESH KILLS turns the classic mob movie inside out, by taking audiences on a journey with two teenage girls, living in a mafia life filled with violence, fear, and rage. A closed off world that dictates who these young women are destined to become… unless they fight to break free.”

(https://freshkillsmovie.com)

I had the exclusive opportunity to speak with the female phenom writer, director, actress, Jennifer Esposito, who began her career as an aspiring actress with the dream of attending NYU. When she couldn’t afford it, she turned to studying through Lee Strasberg. Esposito quickly found success in network television acting in familiar favorites, such as Spin City, Related, Samantha Who?, and Blue Bloods. She also performed in seasons of the Showtime series, The Affair, Comedy Central’s sitcom, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, as well as Amazon series, The Boys. Her film career is equally as impressive: Summer of Sam (1999), Don’t Say a Word (2001), The Master of Disguise (2002), Welcome to Collinwood (2002), Crash (2004), Taxi (2004), and Somewhere in Queens (2022).

Despite these successes, something was missing. Esposito shared her fascination with the broader view of character work and storytelling— something that has become increasingly difficult to find in today’s profit-driven media content.

As an actress, Esposito was confined to explore only that which she was cast in, even before she entered the audition room: “Oh, she’s New York tough, she’s never getting out of that box.” Esposito shared that she complained about it, and then became tired of complaining about it. She felt no better than the next person who was not actually trying to make a difference in the industry.

So, she set out to create and tell her own stories. Esposito shared that the concept of FRESH KILLS had been marinating in her mind ever since she was a young girl. When she began writing the script, she initially thought she would portray Rose. And then time passed, and she thought, ‘perhaps Connie.’ Six years ago, Esposito sat down with her ideas and told herself that she would not get up until the script was complete. And that is exactly what she did.

When asked about the inspiration for the characters in the story, Esposito confided, “Rose is who I am, Connie is who I had to become.” It is poetic, then, that she ends up playing Francine, the girls’ mother, their protector, their best friend, their worst enemy, their biggest supporter, and their greatest form of judgement.

The storyline of each woman in the Larusso family, Rose (Emily Bader), Connie (Odessa A’zion), Francine (Jennifer Esposito), and Christine (Annabella Sciorra), blend seamlessly together to demonstrate the bigger theme of what it means to be a woman manipulated, conditioned, and trapped by the power of the surrounding man’s world, to ultimately find the confidence to question, resist, and liberate herself from that cage. Esposito explains that this story is about the “essence of finding this voice— and that is the journey I had to go through to get [FRESH KILLS] made.”

Independent filmmaking isn’t always a smooth or guaranteed road. In fact, Esposito shared that she mortgaged her house to make this film. When she ran into hiccups with set locations, casting, budget, etc., Esposito shared, “I am really good at making lemonade out of lemons. MAKE IT WORK.”

When asked about the casting process, Esposito expressed both gratitude and praise for the actresses who portrayed Francine’s daughters. For Connie, Esposito’s script demanded a performer who could “handle that rage in an honest way… you need to be checked in, accessing that kind of thing, and Odessa could do that.” Rose’s story, on the other hand, required a different type of performer in front of the camera. Esposito explained that she kept returning to Bader’s audition tape, as her performance displayed “something really present, [and] that is really hard to show in acting.”

Esposito also spoke highly of Dominick Lombardozzi, her on-screen husband, Joe Larusso, citing his impressive ability to oscillate between portraying both a lovable, gentle man and a violent, relentless presence. The role of Christine was written for actress Annabella Sciorra when she joined then cast. Sciorra is know for her Emmy-winning role as Gloria Trillo in HBO’s The Sopranos.

“This was definitely one of my favorite roles ever— the favorite role ever— because [Francine] was Full.” It is clear Esposito has an immense respect (and talent) for the art of both acting and storytelling, and the script of FRESH KILLS allowed her to build a character that had wants, needs, and goals: “everything to create a full character.”

To describe the on-set experience of juggling writing, directing, and acting, Esposito definitively gave the one word response of: “AMAZING.” She then continued, “That’s my brain level. My brain works in 15 different directions… My brain needs to be absorbed. This just works with my brain. Watch the film and you will find this to be a very accurate statement.

This film leaves a lasting impression on its viewers. After a recent screening of FRESH KILLS, actor Donnie Wahlburg (Band of Brothers (2001), Blue Bloods, Saw (2004)), was left in tears. He approached Esposito, astonished by the way this story tugged on his emotions. Wahlburg was moved with the way he saw himself on screen: “I was Rose,” he said to Esposito.

The story is so deeply moving because Esposito uses the intricacies of relationship to drive her powerful storytelling. Her script reminds us that a story, at its core, is about “showing the human condition.” As a recent student of psychology, Esposito demonstrates this deeper understanding of the relationships with others and with oneself. “Go back to what you know. I know story, and I know character.”

Esposito humbly asks that we ‘please seek out independent films,’ not for the sake of the success of her film, but for the sake the art. There is a “limited perspective of the world” being told in movies created for profit, and we are beginning to miss the point of why anyone would create art in the first place.

FRESH KILLS is a story, brought to life on a screen, by the incredible work of talented artist, writer, director, actor, Jennifer Esposito. It is a story for everyone, and it is a story about everyone. You will see yourself on screen and identify with the characters in their truest form of human condition, all thanks to Esposito’s immense attention to relationship and story.

Now that production is over and FRESH KILLS has had its official release, Esposito is finding calm in the outdoors the Hamptons has to offer: “being in nature and by the beach is a lifeline that I didn’t always know I needed. It’s now become vital.”

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For more about FRESH KILLS, check out the website HERE

Watch the Trailer for FRESH KILLS HERE

Help support FRESH KILLS on its journey to award shows HERE

Check out FRESH KILLS socials below:

Instagram:
@freshkillsmovie
@quiverdistribution

YouTube:
@FreshKillsMovie

Facebook:
@FreshKillsMovie
@quiverdistribution

X (Formerly Twitter):
@FreshKillsMovie
@quiverdistrib

TikTok:
@iamjenespo

~Emmy Sammons