The Most Underrated Movie of 2024?

A conversation with actor-turned-auteur JENNIFER ESPOSITO about FRESH KILLS, her phenomenal debut feature

Fresh Kills, Quiver

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon.

Dragon babies are said to be natural-born adventurers and risk-takers. They are famously ambitious, impulsive and stubborn. Pig-headed, even.

So, perhaps it’s no wonder that in 2024 we are witnessing the birth of not one, but two $100 million self-funded moonshots: Horizon: An American Saga by Kevin Costner, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.

I, for one, am 100 million percent here for both. I enjoyed Horizon: Chapter One and can’t wait to see Megalopolis next month on the biggest screen possible.

But inside the crumbling cathedral of legacy entertainment media, the discourse around both films has been chaotic - a collision of fawning praise and vicious schadenfreude. As the chaos was reaching its crescendo, sometime in late June, a third (and significantly less expensive) self-funded moonshot made its quiet arrival…

Jennifer Esposito’s FRESH KILLS is a sprawling Staten Island crime drama that centers on Rose and Connie, sisters who move from Brooklyn to Staten Island in the 80s, only to discover their dad is in the Mafia. It is the rare mob film from a woman’s perspective. But it is ultimately a story about family, and as Jennifer puts it, “finding a voice in a world that doesn’t want you to have one.”

Best known as an actor in films like Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam (1999) and cop shows like Blue Bloods, Jennifer has always wanted to be a filmmaker. She’s been developing Fresh Kills for 15 years. When no one agreed to fund the film on her terms, she mortgaged her house to fund the production herself.

The movie debuted at Tribeca last year and has since earned raves from critics and audiences alike (over 90 percent approval from both on Rotten Tomatoes). It features two breakout performances from Emily Bader (of Amazon Prime's My Lady Jane) and Odessa A’Zion (Netflix’s Grand Army). But despite its acclaim, and perhaps due to its modest budget and female writer-director, legacy media have mostly ignored it. According to Esposito, at least one major publication declined to review it at all. As a result, one of the best movies of the year is at risk of being overlooked.

But before we lose hope, let’s circle back to that Chinese zodiac -

Dragon babies are also believed to possess good luck. Intelligence. Strength and charisma. Having seen Fresh Kills once in the theaters and again on Amazon, I say with confidence that Jennifer Esposito’s moonshot is a Dragon Baby in every sense. It’s also one of my favorite movies of the year.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to chat with Jennifer this week about making Fresh Kills, the state of the industry, and the value of ambitiously authored human stories in 2024. Here is that conversation...

Fresh Kills (2024)

Where to Watch Fresh Kills

• Available to rent or buy on Amazon

• Also available on AppleTV

News Reel

• Will the future of entertainment be funded by Big Tech, or Big Chicken? Chick-fil-A is “moving aggressively” into the entertainment space with plans to hatch its own streaming platform.

• Kamala Harris, Hollywood Needs You: Why Hollywood Workers Should Focus on Antitrust is a perceptive and urgent must-read from the Entertainment Strategy Guy. Money quote: “The unions/guilds need to put their considerable heft, manpower and energy behind breaking up the entertainment industry so it is more competitive across the board. A more competitive Hollywood is one where workers win since they have increased bargaining power.”

• “There’s no inherent reason that movies made for adults — not just in terms of raunchiness and violence, but also narrative and thematic complexity — can’t be big financial winners. But there’s a contemporary culture that is largely afraid to champion them.” Freddie deBoer asks What Will It Take for Hollywood to Grow Up?

Join The Discussion

Have you seen Fresh Kills? What under-appreciated movies and filmmakers do you love? Let me know in the comments. And in case you missed them, check out my previous video essays on Woman in the Dunes and Lone Star.

For Premium Subscribers, we’ve got a bonus video this week!

Below the paywall, Jennifer Esposito shares her “underexposed” movie and TV picks with us. And to all you free subscribers, thanks for reading! See you next Friday.