The technique of starting a movie with a hyper-dramatic scene and then rewinding in order to provide context is pretty common, and I am not much of a fan of it. But sometimes, it works perfectly in favor of the film. Jennifer Esposito’s Fresh Kills is one such example. The gritty crime drama has all the familiar elements, from gangsters to drugs to organized crime, but what makes it stand out is the story focusing on the women instead of the men. We don’t get to see much action, and a whole lot of Fresh Kills is confined to the dining room of the Larrussos, but that’s exactly what makes this a unique experience. Esposito’s decade-sprawling narrative makes sure that you get to feel Rose’s agony, frustration, and helplessness from start to finish. Fresh Kills‘ ending is particularly effective, although you might have some confusion over it. Let us take a look at that in this article.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens in the Film?
What if you’re a loner stuck in a mafia family? From the opening scene, where we see a horrified Rose in the car with her blood-soaked hands, Fresh Kills keeps emphasizing the fact that Rose is a misfit in her family. The film also sheds light on the toxic effect of shoving “family values” down someone’s throat—in this case, Rose Larrusso.
The story begins in 1987. The Larusso family—Joe and Francine, with their two daughters, Connie and Rose—has just moved to Staten Island. The family is really close with Francine’s sister Christine, her husband Nick, and their son Allie, who’s a little older than Connie and Rose. Christine seems to have a special bond with Rose, who’s also her goddaughter (it’s never mentioned, but very evident). Connie is a major tomboy who’s very enthusiastic about her father’s line of work, while Rose is timid and shy. I thought it was wise of Esposito to not directly show what Joe really does, but there’s enough for the audience to know. Like when Joe and his associate Nelo are talking about Nick in the garage, you know they’re planning to kill Nick. As fate would have it, Connie and Rose overhear it, and Joe sees Rose hiding in the garage. But the Larusso family has this culture of sweeping things under the rug and also living in denial. So Joe is not at all bothered by his daughters knowing about his murderous plan; he knows Rose would overlook it, and Connie is too loyal. As you would expect, Nick soon dies in an apparent suicide. In between, we get glimpses of Francine and Joe having ugly fights about the quality of their lives and Joe’s line of work.
Years pass by, and we find ourselves in 1993. Connie is a loudmouth, exuberant young teen who hangs out with Sal, Angela, and Bobby; all of them are children of Joe’s associates. Rose, although she tags along with them, is more alone and confused than before. She’s now aware that her father is not exactly in the air conditioning industry. But when she gathers the courage to talk about it with her dear sister, Connie not only shuts her up; she also accuses Rose of being disloyal to the family. There’s no doubt that the bond between the sisters is as strong as ever, but this scene also demonstrates that it’s extremely toxic. What Connie does to Rose is straight-up emotional abuse, and I’m sure this is not the only time Rose has to deal with it. But that doesn’t stop her from standing up for Connie when this girl, Danielle, and her friend beat up Connie thanks to a stupid feud between them. It’s not that Rose doesn’t love her family, but Connie and Francine constantly burdening her with their lectures about the importance of family is nothing short of nauseating.
Does Joe get arrested?
The year is 1997. Connie has been married for a while with a cute kid named Lily. Her husband (who we never see) is one of the associates of cousin Allie, who’s now actively in business with his uncle Joe. Ever since Nick got killed, Joe has been pampering the fatherless kid to the extent of making his own kids feel neglected. Of course, Allie being a guy is a major reason for the privilege he has received from his uncle.
Rose is in a sort of relationship-y thing with Bobby, who has been into her for a long time. At Angela and Sal’s wedding, Bobby proposes to Rose, and before she can say anything, the crowd starts celebrating. It becomes abundantly clear that it really doesn’t matter what the girl has to say; she should just be grateful that such a glorious thing has happened to her. But Rose has made up her mind about not getting engaged to Bobby right away. She wants to visit the city and audition for a TV show. If that doesn’t work out, she plans to find other jobs. Francine, of course, is very much against the idea. Her relationship with both daughters has only worsened over the years.
When Joe abruptly hands over a bakery to his daughters, it gets very clear that the patriarch is running some shady business and using it as a front. Allie’s involvement in the business only confirms it further. Soon, Lily and Rose accidentally stumble upon a hidden stash of drugs and money in Allie’s office, which further proves that the Larusso patriarch is up to no good. In what I consider the most unfortunate incident in the entire film, Rose gets the news of her father getting arrested by the FBI on the exact same day of her audition while at the venue. She has a panic attack and retreats back home. But she’s surprised to find that even after all this, her mother and sister are trying to act like nothing has happened. Connie, like the best daughter one could ever have, takes Rose to the bakery in order to move Allie’s drugs and money in order to help Joe. But in a shocking turn of events, Allie accidentally shoots Connie, and after realizing there’s no coming back from it, he kills himself. Rose is shocked to the core and can’t believe what just happened. Yet she gathers all the money, puts it in the bag, and drives away in Connie’s car until she stops. We get back to the opening scene of the film. Now we know what has brought Rose to this juncture of life.
Does Rose get away from her toxic family?
The most riveting thing about Fresh Kills is how it continues to stay grounded and never bows down to the pressure of the genre. I’m sure many of us did think that Rose would take off in Connie’s car right after what happened in the bakery, but this is clearly not that kind of film. It wouldn’t have made sense for the character to leave her goddaughter Lilly behind with the same toxic family, especially now that Connie is no more. So she gets back and quietly starts taking care of the kid, as well as her disapproving mother, Francine. After what happened with Connie and Allie, it’s only natural for Christine to not be friends with Francine (or the Larussos) anymore. However, when Joe finally gets released from prison, Christine visits Rose and apologizes to her for not being able to do more as a godmother. This is the most important scene in the film, where it finally becomes clear that Christine was always aware of what’s going on in the family, and that she tried her best to shield Rose from it. It also establishes that it’s Rose’s turn now to do one better than Christine for Lilly. And for herself, it’s not too late. But a confrontation with her father was something that needed to be done.
Rose was carrying way too much, and she had to unburden herself by finally managing to tell her father that it was all his fault. This is a bold statement against the notion that “man provides for his family, so he’s no less than a god,” which has been popularized by so many films, especially of this genre. Not that it’s going to change anything, as we see Joe continue to eat without a care in the world at the empty table. This is clearly not the warm welcome he was expecting, but that’s not going to change the way he lives. For Rose, though, it’s now or never. So she packs her bag, takes the money that she was smartly hiding all this time (yeah, it’s from Allie’s office at the bakery), takes Lilly along with her, and leaves unceremoniously in the middle of the night. She does stop for a bit and exchange a look with Francine, but that’s about it. There’s not much left to say between the two anyway. Where will Rose go? Possibly to the city. But that’s not important for this story, as it was always about Rose mustering the courage to do what needed to be done—leaving.