Fresh (1994)

Michael, a.k.a. "Fresh", is a 12-year-old drug dealer who lives in a run-down house with his aunt and other orphaned children in a dangerous Brooklyn neighborhood. Having grown up in a harsh culture, he is a boy who shows little emotion despite witnessing the revulsion of street life on a regular basis. His mother is long gone, his sister has resorted to prostitution, and his father is completely estranged-although every now and then he meets with his father to play speed chess, through which he is taught street knowledge. At first Fresh aspires to live the life of a powerful drug dealer, but one day a heartrending incident causes him to rethink his dreams and consider a better possible future.

Directed by Boaz Yakin (who also directed "Remember the Titans"--a *completely* different film), "Fresh" is an astonishingly well-done film that left me stunned long after it ended. By depicting a brutal life through the eyes of a young boy, the film tells a bleak story by taking its viewers on a roller-coaster ride of gut-wrenching scenes, and yet in the process it still manages to engage the audience and finally arrive at a surprising conclusion.

Although the first third of the film is basically used to give the viewer a tour of Fresh's neighborhood, the plot soon becomes very complex after one particular scene. Fresh's life literally becomes a game of chess, represented by the moves the pieces make and the strategy used to stay alive. Despite the film's quiet atmosphere, it moves at a rapid pace and forces the audience to listen closely in order to keep on track with the plot. The plot moves unpredictably throughout, but every one of its elements makes perfect sense after a bit of thinking. And although the script is heavy on profanity, it is totally realistic in depicting the everyday life of the characters, and the dialogue between Fresh and his father during their chess matches is especially good.

The picture is shot on low-budget film, making the Brooklyn neighborhood feel all the more dark and unwelcoming. But there are no prolonged fight scenes, nor is there a lot of on-screen brutality. There are, however, a lot of tragic scenes that really hit home, and they are shot with rapid film editing and camera work that didn't require any computer enhancements. Simply put, no unnecessary visual techniques are used.

The acting is superb all around. Sean Nelson, in his debut role, is stunning as Fresh; he is so compelling in the way he conveys his emotions without having to say anything, and he feels so natural that it seems as if he doesn't even know the camera's on him for more than 90% of the film. For this to come out of a debut performance is impressive enough; but for it to come out of such a young actor is truly astonishing. Supporting roles include Samuel L. Jackson, who expresses a great sense of authority as Fresh's father, and Giancarlo Esposito, who is absolutely chilling as the "black king" of the film.

And the ending is unforgettable. In fact, it is not the unpredictable denouement that the viewer remembers best; it is the very last image. In one final shot, all the emotion that had built up to that point bursts out in a brief, silent moment. It is a deeply moving way to end the film, and it gave me a faint sense of hope despite all the sorrow and horror that had already happened.

"Fresh" is a tiny film that manages to be riveting, frightening, disturbing, contemplative, poignant, and faintly uplifting all at once, and that alone makes it one of the most memorable films I have ever seen. But with acting, filming, and screenplay all being top-notch without any other frills, "Fresh" is also a brilliant work that uses only the most basic aspects of film to their fullest extent. It features many upsetting scenes and is definitely not for all viewers, and due to the plot and script it can be a very challenging film to watch at times, but it is an unconventional example of a director and cast at the top of their form. I easily recommend "Fresh" to film lovers everywhere.

With the exception of a audio track that sometimes gives the impression that students were hired to record the sound, this is quite possibly a perfect movie. Given two thumbs WAY up by Siskel and Ebert, this film is a tightly written and well acted. The initial opening, which confused me at first, on later viewings revealed itself to be the setting of the chessboard upon which the title character plays his most important game - Namely, his life. If you are a lover of suspense, intelligence, or chess (Fresh uses chess tactics to checkmate his opponents and save the "queen") than This is the film for you. Because, at first glance, this film is about African Americans and drugs -but with relatively little violence, the distributors had no idea what to do with it and it received lousy distribution and little advirtising. It is NOT however so much a film about drugs and violence, as it is about an incredibly intelligent, hard working kid who uses all the resources available to him to get himself and his sister a better life. I have seen this film multiple times, and to my amazement found NOT ONE line of wasted dialogue in the whole thing... which makes the lousy soundtrack all the more annoying. Additionally, it has the complex construction of a Dickens' tale - seemingly unrelated details all coming together to a tighly knit resolution. If you are a serious student or lover of film, this is one to be savored.

Buy Fresh (1994) Now

This is a very recent film that I watched at the suggestion of one of my co-workers (Hey Harlan!). I was captivated by this film from beginning to end. Its raw power is undescribable, and the performances by the lead actor in particular (Sean Nelson) was brilliant. The story deals with a young boy who has become a pint size drug runner. He, however, is extremely intelligent and knows that there is no future in this type of life. He sets out to become a man, and in the process many lives are changed, most importantly his own. It is a film of astonishing and unrelenting power which should be seen by everyone. I was very impressed with screenwriter/director Boaz Yakim's decision not to put the usual soundtrack that befuddles urban films, instead, the instrumental score brings yet another dimension to this already multi-layered motion picture. Kudos to Giancarlo Esposito in the role of Esteban.

Read Best Reviews of Fresh (1994) Here

Fresh is a 12 year old African-American kid with an abundance of street smarts and a stash of several thousand dollars squirrelled away in an old tin can under the floorboards of a condemned tenement. He's a consummate wheeler-dealer, a drug runner who lives his life on the gritty streets of ghetto Brooklyn. He lives fast and hard and at the rate he's going, he'll be lucky to see his thirteenth birthday.

Fresh's real name is Michael, and he lives with his Aunt Frances, a self-abnegating caretaker of eleven of Fresh's cousins, who have found with Aunt Frances the first stable home of their lives and don't appreciate Fresh's activities risking their stability. They're scared to be seen on the streets with him. "I'm not going back to no group home because of you," one of his cousins hisses. "If you mess this up, I'm gonna kill you."

Fresh lives in a world of violence, depravity and despair that no child should ever have to witness. He sits by the bank of the East River and dreams of better things. He looks across the river at the towers of midtown Manhattan, a short subway ride away and as distant and inaccessible to him as the far side of the moon. His world is drugs, which keep him in funds and destroying the life of his teenaged sister, a hard-core junkie prostitute with the face of a black Madonna. His only parent is his dad, a veteran speed-chess player who has taught Fresh everything he knows about the game. "Your queen is nothing but a pawn with fancy moves," he advises Fresh. "Play your opponent, not the game -if your opponent plays a defensive game, be aggressive." And vice-versa. Chess is, after all, a metaphor for life, and the name of the game is survival.

Fresh is surviving as best he can. He's a drug runner for two different groups; he runs heroin for Esteban's Latino crew, and crack for Corky's African-American gang. He's smart, savvy, and above all, he knows how to keep his mouth shut. Something his best friend, Chuckie, has never learned and which will eventually end up costing him, big time.

Survival in Fresh's world is a dicey prospect, and when one of Corky's lieutenants, a thug named Jake, shoots up the playground after being humiliated in a game of pickup basketball by a much younger player, killing not only his opponent but a little girl Fresh has a crush on, something in Fresh snaps. He's had it with all the drugs and the mayhem that makes up his world. Dad's lessons in speed chess stand him in good stead. Fresh sets up a chessboard in his room, each piece representing a player in his world, and with cold, analytical calculation and breath-taking audacity, he plays both ends against the middle, setting the drug gangs against each other and sitting back to watch them wipe each other out.

Boaz Yakin's first feature film is a tour de force which showcases not only himself as a gifted director, but a dazzlingly talented actor in Sean Nelson. Nelson doesn't so much play Fresh as he becomes Fresh. He's such a natural that he doesn't seem to be acting at all. Samuel L. Jackson is excellent as Fresh's dad, a failed person and parent who has managed to give Fresh the one gift he has, a talent for speed chess that helps him transform his life. Giancarlo Esposito is suitably reassuring and menacing by turns as the heroin dealer Esteban, and Ron Brice is chilling as the paranoid crack dealer Corky. Yakin's direction brings out all the grit, the despair and hopelessness of the environment these people are trapped in, either by choice (Corky and Esteban) or involuntarily (Fresh and his sister). We can only wonder what it must be like to live in such a place, with no way out.

"Fresh" suffered from abominable distribution when it was first released in 1994, which prevented it from being much better known. I hadn't even heard of this film until I caught it on cable TV one night a few months ago. Since then I've seen it four times, and each time I come away awed at how Yakin has caught to perfection the lives of his characters and the mean streets they live in. And the final scene, Fresh staring at his dad over one more game of speed chess with tears running down his face, is like a visceral kick. Consummate wheeler-dealer or not, this kid is, after all, only twelve years old.

Judy Lind

Want Fresh (1994) Discount?

Fresh is a stark, somewhat sensational metaphor-movie about street life. The main character, Fresh, is a 12-year-old kid with a job running drugs for various thugs. He learns tact and tactic through weekly chess matches with his alcoholic, supposed-to-be absent father. He takes what he learns and applies it toward getting a better life for himself and his wayward sister. Played by Sean Nelson, Fresh is a kid so precocious as to make Haley Joel Osment look childish, and then some. There really is no comparison for this movie, a film as mature as its young star.

Save 60% Off