Fresh

Plot synopsis:
2 year old Michael "Fresh" stops at a latina woman's apartment to pick up dime bags of heroin before he goes to school. Fresh notices that she has given him the wrong amount and Fresh tries to warn her that his boss Esteban will be angry with the incorrect amount. He sees the track marks on her arm, indicating that she is a drug addict trying to swindle him out of his delivery. He leaves, disgusted.Next, he visits another apartment where several women and one man, Chilli, are measuring and cutting bricks of crack. Chilli insults Fresh and calls him a little boy doing a man's job. Chilli also makes crude comments about Fresh's sister, which angers Fresh. He rushes out because he is late to school. He meets up with another of Esteban's employees to count the drugs. The employee tells Fresh that Esteban wants to see him after handing Fresh his share of the money.Fresh arrives at school where is his scolded by his teacher, Mrs. Coleman, for being late. Fresh acts like a normal boy by playing around with his best friend, Chuckie. At recess, the boys watch the girl's cheerleading team and Fresh talks to one of the girls, Rosie, who thinks he is cute. Fresh's friends notice the two and embarrassed, Fresh leaves the group and talks to her at a distance through a fence in the school yard so they won't tease him.After school, Fresh goes to a forested, abandoned area to put his new earnings in a secret hiding place, where we see that he has amassed a substantial savings. From there, he goes to his grandmother's house where all of his aunt and cousins reside. Fresh greets everyone but no one pays him any attention. He talks to his estranged sister Nichole while another cousin warns Fresh that if he comes home late again and "messes up (their current privilege of living at their Aunt's house)" she would kill him.The next morning, Fresh is selling drugs when a pregnant woman approaches him, desperate for crack. She tries to get him to lower his price, complaining that other sellers let her have the drug for cheap. Another desperate drug addict offers to perform fellatio on Fresh in exchange for drugs. Fresh refuses and slaps her, sending her away. He goes to get paid by another boss, Corky, who gives him fifty dollars. Fresh demands more money after seeing that Jake, a teenage lookout, makes more money than him. Impressed with his ambition, Corky agrees. Corky tells Fresh he will go far one day.Fresh takes the subway to a local park to play chess with a man who is undefeated for money while his father Sam, a skilled chess player, sits at another table watching him. After winning, Fresh plays his father but he loses. Sam criticizes Fresh's strategy and Fresh leaves to visit Chuckie, who proposes to enter their dog, Roscoe, in a dogfight to earn money. Fresh refuses so Chuckie urges Fresh to get him a job with Esteban. Fresh rebuffs his suggestion, saying that Chuckie is too immature to be a drug dealer, and agrees to enter their pet into the fight. Fresh leaves him to visit Esteban, who is annoyed that Fresh is selling crack for other drug dealers. He warns Fresh that when it comes to crack dealing, Fresh will either die addicted to his own product or be killed by rival dealers or unstable drug addicts. Then Esteban begins asking about Nichole, making it known that he would like to have sex with her. Fresh is shocked and struggles to hide his emotions. Esteban presses him for information about Nichole and Fresh dodges the questions by claiming that Nichole is watched carefully by his aunt.He leaves Esteban to go to the corner store where Nichole works. He bumps into James, Nichole's drug dealing boyfriend, who insults his appearance before allowing him to see Nichole. Fresh warns Nichole that Esteban is interested in her and asks her why she stays with James. She tells him that she doesn't love James; only the drugs he can supply her with. Fresh insists that he and their family loves her but Nichole dismisses him.Fresh goes to watch a neighborhood basketball game, where Jake begins to show jealously towards a small kid, Curtis, and pushes him to the ground during the game. After Curtis scores a point, Jake becomes angered and leaves the court. Rosie sees Fresh and walks over to talk to him. As she does, Jake runs in and shoots Curtis, killing Rosie in the crossfire. As nearby kids scream, Jake threatens that if anyone talks, he will kill them. The police arrive shortly, demanding information, but Fresh doesn't tell them anything.Fresh plays chess with his father Sam again who scolds him for being distracted. Fresh loses to his father, but is able to put his Father's king in "check" for the first time. The two go to his house, a broken down, cluttered and dirty mobile home, to celebrate. Later, Chuckie and Fresh arrive at the dogfight, where Fresh spots Jake. Fresh tries to convince Chuckie to take Roscoe out of the fight, but nevertheless, their dog wins. Chuckie wants to enter him into another fight but Fresh stops him, agreeing to get him a job with Esteban. They go to Esteban's apartment where they accidentally walk in on Esteban and Nichole finishing having sex. Esteban tells them to wait in another room, where Chuckie asks for a job. Esteban agrees and tells Fresh that he plans to groom Fresh to his protege and wants Fresh to stop selling for other dealers.Meanwhile, Corky has the police hot on his trail since Jake's shooting attracted attention. It is a this point that Fresh devises an elaborate strategy that will ultimately remove himself and his sister from the projects. Fresh goes to another source, Hector, under the pretense of being the runner for Corky. Hector refuses to hand over the drugs to Fresh, fearing that the police will come after him. Fresh threatens him and offers him a substantial sum of cash, which we understand to be the entirety of Fresh's personal savings. Hector takes the money and tells Fresh where to pick up the drugs. Fresh says that the police have wire-tapped Corky's phone numbers and tells Hector not to call Corky.At school, Chuckie can't resist bragging about his new job for Esteban. After school, he and Fresh buy science textbooks to hide bags of heroin in before going on the subway, where Chuckie mouths off to a police officer. Next, they go to an abandoned house where Fresh hides their stash in the floorboards while Chuckie keeps lookout with a gun. When leaving the building, three men step out from behind the corner approaching them. Chuckie tries to shoot at the men but trips. The gun falls under a car and Chuckie tries to grab it but an assailant shoots the tire and it flattens under Chuckie's hand, crushing it. Fresh runs back over to help him, but Chuckie is stuck. Fresh runs away and the assailants shoot Chuckie. Fresh is questioned by the police at the police station. They question him, but since they have no evidence to detain him, they let him go. One of the nicer detectives, Sgt. Perez, gives him his card.Back at home, Fresh's aunt remonstrates sadly with him for getting involved in gunfire and tells him that she cannot risk the lives of her eleven other children for him. She informs him that he will be sent to a group home for a month. At school, Fresh's friends blame him for Chuckie's death and truly alone, Fresh shoots Chuckie's dog, Roscoe. When Fresh goes outside, Jake forces him in the car with the three assailants, revealing that Jake had ordered the attack. They bring Fresh to a room where Corky is waiting. Jake brags that he told Corky that Fresh was selling for other rival dealers but Fresh lies to the other henchmen that Fresh was being forced to sell for Jake. The henchmen turn on Jake and Jake's friend Red tries to convince them that Fresh is lying. However, Fresh insists that Jake and Red were planning to oust Corky and he was only saying that he was selling for Esteban as protection. Fresh tells them to call Hector, who will reveal the truth.Corky calls Hector, where Hector confirms that he met with Fresh. The conversation is short, with Hector expressing concern over Corky' phone being wire-tapped, as Hector was told was the case, by Fresh. An enraged Corky hangs up, assuming that Jake is behind it all. Corky believes the version of events stated by Fresh and whips Red and Jake to death with chains. Corky turns to Fresh and asks who else is involved. Fresh names James.Fresh then goes to Esteban's warehouse and tells him that Corky's crew had jumped him and says that Corky is planning to sell heroin as well. He tells Esteban that Corky's distributor is James and the two are planning to meet that night. He also adds that Nichole is seeing James secretly because James is plotting with Corky to take Esteban out. Corky and his men arrive at James' place and storm in while Esteban, Fresh, and two other men wait in Esteban's car, watching them. Esteban signals his henchmen to follow him and tells Fresh and Herbie to stay put.Inside, Esteban's crew kills James, Corky, and Corky's men. Afterwards, they drive to Esteban's place and Esteban sees Nichole is there. He tells his henchmen to take Fresh home but Fresh makes them stop the car, claiming that he will spend the night at a friend's house. He runs into a convenience store and makes a phone call on a pay phone.He then shows up at Esteban's apartment, claiming that he couldn't go home. Esteban lets him stay because he wants to confront Fresh for telling Nichole that he found her father in Staten Island and for urging her to leave for a rehabilitation center. Angry, Esteban demands to know what else Fresh is hiding from him. The three argue and Esteban tries to force Nichole to stay with him.The police arrive and as Esteban goes to answer the door, Fresh hides something under the bed. The police officer turns out to be Sgt. Perez, who reveals that he is responding to a call about a domestic dispute. Esteban denies any argument and suggests they have the wrong apartment. Fresh comes forward and tells Perez that his sister is scared to speak up and how Esteban is a drug dealer who killed James and is now threatening his sister. Esteban swears that he is clean but Fresh tells Sgt. Perez to check under the bed. The policeman looks under the bed and find Esteban's gun (which he removed from the car after the shooting earlier) and the drugs Fresh planted. The police take Esteban away and Sgt. Perez promises to protect Fresh and his sister from any retaliation. Fresh expresses that he no longer wants to live in any "projects".Next, Fresh walks to the park to play chess with his father, who is angry that Fresh is late. He tells Fresh that he will not give him anymore chess tips as he won't always be there to hold his hand. After his ranting, he looks at Fresh, who is staring back at him, crying. His father, bashfully looks away, hesitant to make his first chess move. Fresh continues to stare at his father, expressionless, as tears run down his cheeks.

Tags: tragedy, revenge, neo noir, murder, violence

Review:
One that can hold its own, and more, against such films released that year as "Pulp Fiction," "Natural Born Killers," and "Vanya on 42nd Street."  It's called "Fresh," and I'll go out on a limb to say it's as powerful an urban drama as any other I've seen in my life.There are no fancy cinematic magic tricks going on in this film, aside from an instance of superimposed images that is so simple it almost seems like a throwback to old silent dramas.
Not to say that these things cannot be used appropriately and judiciously to enhance the effect of a particular film, but "Fresh" is stripped bare, and must depend on its performances, direction, and writing alone.For starters, a young Sean Nelson delivers a performance that puts the lion's share of veteran actors to shame.
Jackson (Fresh's chessmaster/alcoholic father) and Giancarlo Esposito (the slimy, high-living drug dealer Esteban), and both are perfect in award-caliber performances.
Two lesser known actors, N'Bushe Wright (Fresh's junkie sister Nichole) and Jean LaMare (as Jake, the hot tempered low-man-on-the-totem-pole employee of Corky) are also terrific in key roles.The screenplay, by director Boaz Yakin, is doggedly unpredictable, but in retrospect it all makes perfect sense -- nothing in the movie pushes the bounds of credibility.
"Fresh" knows its territory, the time and place it's set in, and it provides characters who talk like they do in real life -- not ones that sound like they're in a movie where they talk like they do in real life.The use of violence is admirably restrained.
Not only does "Fresh" keep us off guard on a psychological level, but on an emotional one as well, something few films ever think of doing.If I were to offer one criticism, it would be that the chess metaphor was pressed just a bit too hard by Yakin (though the final scene is devastating):  we already know that this kid is thinking like a master strategist, we don't need quite so many shots of him playing the game in his room.
With perfect acting, the right combination of drama and action coupled with suspense, and a story that literally keeps you glued to your seat until the very end, it surprises me that more people haven't discovered this cinematic gem and attached themselves to it.To begin, Sean Nelson is brilliant.
Yakin had to be proud of himself to find such a great cast to work with as well as create this story that could be enjoyed by audience throughout the ages.Finally, I would like to comment on one of the most important themes of this film that I didn't realize until closer to the end.
Boaz Yakin, the enormously talented writer/director of "Fresh" has done the impossible, a real movie about real things that offers a sharp contrast with other films about the subject we have seen before.
Mr. Yakin working with what appears to be a cast of non professional actors, mainly, presents a gripping tale of life in the ghetto that will probably be a classic in this genre.If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading now.Fresh is the young boy at the center of the action.
Unspoiled by the gangsta rap, and glamorisation of street culture that normally pervades a 'black' film, it tells the story of the 12-year old, chess-playing, drug-dealing streetwise genius, Fresh.Living in poverty with 11 others in his aunt's house, and using his wits to survive, he slowly gets trapped deeper and deeper in the world of drugs, a world in which all his loyalties are challenged.Most 'hood films either satirise black culture completely with their loud, cool attitudes, or on the other become touchy-feely anti-drugs schmaltz.
The other characters (like N'Bushe Wright's portrayal of Fresh's sister) are also incredibly well played, and every single one of them is believable.However, the main credit HAS to go to Sean Nelson.
"Fresh" (Nelson), the title character and a black kid in his early teens, is a runner for low level drug distributors in the mean streets of NYC with a plan to get out of the ghetto.
Sean Nelson in a great role as Fresh the young drug dealer who's livin' in a home with 10-11 other relatives and has to move crack in order to survive.
Perfect accident because as director Yakin explains, while casting, he almost overloooked Sean Nelson for the part of Fresh and then there would have been no Fresh.Perfect accident because, tired of Hollywood, Yakin had almost given up on ever making something he felt he could identify with, till friend and producer Lawrence Bender hit the jackpot with Reservoir Dogs and made space for Fresh to be born.Perfect accident because former The Police-drummer Stewart Copeland writes a beautiful non-rap score that frees Fresh from becoming just another political statement about inner-city living conditions, yet highlights the sparkle and charm of the characters.Perfect accident because the mastery of Samuel Jackson and Giancarlo Esposito blend to perfection with the innocence of such a young cast.Perfect accident because Boaz Yakin - away from the constraints of major league production (THANKS AGAIN MIRAMAX and French producers Lumière!!) was able to smash this trash some call Political Correctness to pieces and tell a great story, the way he felt it, not caring where he trod, unafraid of those susceptible-many who confuse storytelling with an accusatory poke in the ribs.I honestly don't see how such thrilling honest and human films will ever be made while US citizens keep sending signals to Hollywood that all they want is something brainless to go along with their soda and popcorn.
This movie is one of the few that is close to cinematic perfection...yes, it's THAT good.Young Michael (or Fresh) witnesses the horrors of street life every day.
Not surprisingly, Fresh isn't content with his lifestyle and is determined to make life better not only for him, but for his sister as well.The movie sounds like a standard cliche film, but this is far from the truth.
Fresh was one of these and I remembered thinking it was great but, not having seen it since, I wasn't sure if maybe the period in my life was also giving it a rose-tinted memory in my head.I watched it again last night and did so as a different person – 35 instead of 18, living comfortably instead of a struggling student; regardless of time and place though, the film still gripped me from start to finish and justifies my memory of it being an excellent film.
The plot starts out as a "ghetto" film that fits into the genre of the early 90's (Menace II Society, Boyz n the Hood etc) but then in the middle it becomes much more of a thriller where young Fresh tries to turn the table on his dealing employers in revenge for the murder of one of his friends.
Beyond them La Marre, Brice, Wright and others are also good.Almost twenty years old, Fresh is an excellent film that is well made across the board as both a hood movie and a thriller – my memory was not faded, this is a great film..
The look of everyone and the area ( BK or the Bronx NY, i think?) was real convincing unlike many other ghetto movies.The story encompasses a young black kid being a runner for drug dealers in NY working his way up, while the whole time he hates them and forms an elaborate plot to f*** them all up for their evil deeds!!!
The main character in the movie, Fresh, is played by a really exceptional young actor, Sean Nelson, who manages to steal scenes from two of my other favorite actors, Samuel L.
His acting is fantastic.The best parts of the film is when Fresh plays chess with his dad(Samuel L.
It's well-acted, greatly written and executed, and it manages to capture a lot of nuances of childhood and children's behavior.The movie follows Fresh, a drug runner for two different major pushers in his hood.
Jackson as the absentee, alcoholic father of Fresh who is a great source for chess strategy, but not for compassion or love.The star of the film is the 12 year old (at the time) Sean Nelson, who does a fabulous job in the title role as Fresh.This movie makes Boys in the Hood, and Menace II Society look low-rate..
But than the movie offered a new and more original approach in the second half and from that moment on, it captivated me.Michael, who goes by the name of Fresh when he is on the street, is a 12-year-old drug pusher, living in a half-way house for children without their parents.
What I noticed even more was writer and director Boaz Yakin's smart script and how he deftly mixes Fresh's school, home and street scenes with those in the city's "chess square," where Fresh meets his alcoholic chess-bum father, a noted master, for timed "speed matches," a ritual which gives Fresh the ability to remain cool under the most intense pressure and the smarts to win his deadly duel with the drug dealers who want to turn him into one of them.Sean Nelson is superb as a young boy who literally lives by his wits, as only his smarts and nerves of steel can save him once he sets himself against the murderous thugs he works for.
Though this film obviously came out at a time when movies like Boyz in the Hood, and Menace II Society were prominent but might have been overdone, Fresh shines as an inspired blend of talented acting, symbolism, and thought provoking imagery.
In the scenes between Fresh and his father in the park we see the boy learning how to act and react by watching/playing chess.
Fresh would sell out to all of his friends, who are hoodlums, drug dealers, hustlers, and pimps, in which he would want a better life that was deemed acceptable, like a good home in suburbia, for himself and his sister.
It is pretty amazing when a movie of this genre can make you think and question why things are the way they are in society and to do it without being too preachy.The acting is exceptional too, especially from Sean Nelson as the young drug dealer.
The movie was great there was a lot of scenes that were amazing but at the same time there was some scenes that had good action.The kid fresh is a clever kid because he could be clever at playing chess especially when he uses chess pieces as people to sacrifice.
i like it actually a lot happen that impact me and touch me so much things happen back then in the streets because things were badder control by gangs and this really gave me a review of things that could of been true and things that similar to this had occur.To say truth it was more of a sad movie to me so much killing so much people losing their lives innocent people and the thing is how the father taught the son how life is by his point of view and also how he son had lived a life of so much going threw crying in the end because the way his son got to his goal.One crazy thing that movie was film in Brooklyn my hometown where i was raised from the age of four.
The second was the storyline personally I don't think kids back in those times cause formicate such a plan to take down a Drug King, but I wasn't around and how they played and created the story made me rethink how intelligent or dull those kids were.Even though the movie was good they could have made the set design a little better, why was everything all over the place like they're trying to make the 90s look horrible in both environment and people.The entire movie is good but when the boy was shot for winning a basketball game against a gangster and being shot down(nonsensical violence) this showed how mosts not all kids and teenagers act.The father/son relationship was a bummer because of how bad it was, I mean we only heard one advice from the father and it was about chess, they didn't interact enough for one to say that Fresh had a good or bad relationship with his father..
I don't know how many times I saw this on VHS when I was young in the 90's, but it was a whole lot.Now while some movies I watched as a kid lost it's flare a bit for me in adulthood, this one in 2017 still holds up as a timeless classic.Something that perhaps helps with the feeling of timelessness is the lack of rap music of the time which these sort of movies usually have a lot of, only instrumental music with more symphonical vibes and even a bit of folk music and some jazz elements are on the soundtrack.There are a lot of similarities between this and the TV SERIES 'THE WIRE', I think it's safe to assume that the creators of that definitely had this as a bit of an influence when creating it.Boasting of characters that feel real and actors that feel genuine in the parts they are playing, with Sean Nelson who had just turned 13 when he filmed the lead in the movie pulling one of the finest child-performances in, well, ever.And great intelligent writing too match.Plus it has all the stupid dope moves one could ever want in a dramatic feature..
It involves Michael, nicknamed Fresh (played by Sean Nelson), who is a 12-year-old boy who is a drug dealer (not through any fault of his own -- he has no positive influences to steer him in the right direction) in the streets of Bedford-Stuyvestant, Brooklyn.
His father has become a street bum, but still meets with Fresh on occasion to play chess.Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four stars and called it "a movie filled with drama and excitement, unfolding a plot of brilliant complexity".
This movie is how Fresh does it, and you believe it -- brilliant acting, not some pedagogues point of view, how Fresh should be, but how he is.And at the same time a thrilling story about how to survive as Fresh, save your sister, keep your money, play with dad, and some other things.A must-see if you like realism with pretty unusual stories.
The director Boaz Yakin created a masterpiece of a movie and a mastermind.OK so "fresh" is basically a good movie in my opinion and one of the things that annoyed me is when they killed his dog right infront of and another thing is that they was all teenagers doing all this currupted stuff.One way it was realistic was when they was selling drugs because in the real world people try to make a living off of that.And to me it was realistic because the main character was a 12 year old drug pusher or seller that lives in a crowded house hold.And the movie was pretty good for a kid that sell drugs basically based on kids that want a better lifestyle or kids in a messed up neiborhood or there parents don't give them attention but overall it was good.I recommend it to the kids growing up..
I really liked the movie fresh because it showed me that kids my age can do things to.
One way ¨Fresh¨ was realistic is the fact that some kids in brooklyn actually go through this, where they sell drugs to get through life.I think i'am qualified to give this review because i was raised in Brooklyn and know many kids that go through what the main character of ¨Fresh¨ went through.I give credit to the director for making a decent movie that many can relate to..
What I liked about the movie "Fresh" is that it is not a typical hood film, Its a good movie if the main thing in the movie was about how clever the 12 year old boy was than Fresh would be the best movie.
The second was the storyline personally I don't think kids back in those times cause formicate such a plan to take down a Drug King, but I wasn't around and how they played and created the story made me rethink how intelligent or dull those kids were.Even though the movie was good they could have made the set design a little better, why was everything all over the place like they're trying to make the 90s look horrible in both environment and people.The entire movie is good but when the boy was shot for winning a basketball game against a gangster and being shot down(nonsensical violence) this showed how mosts not all kids and teenagers act.The father/son relationship was a bummer because of how bad it was, I mean we only heard one advice from the father and it was about chess, they didn't interact enough for one to say that Fresh had a good or bad relationship with his father.I still have a question why did he kill the dog what did he have to do with all this drama..
The boy who played fresh really was thinking like a chess game.
I feel this movie shows how life in Brooklyn was in the 90's and the stories i was told by my parents they was right New York in the 90's was a dangerous time with all the violence the drugs and the police.
The thing i liked about that movie is that Fresh was able to get his family out of the hood by himself with no ones help.
A few things I like about the movie "Fresh" is how brave the main character was.
Another thing I liked was the conflict in the story, the way the Fresh worked for both drug dealers then got both killed or in trouble.