Fresh
Growing up fast is never easy, but in Fresh it’s a survival tactic. The film follows a twelve-year-old caught between schoolyard games and the deadly chess match of street life. He runs drugs, dodges dealers, and schemes with a cool detachment that’s both impressive and unsettling. There’s a methodical calm to it all, as if he’s already outgrown the childhood he barely had.
The story sets itself up like a thriller but plays more like a slow, grim puzzle. Each move Fresh makes—each lie, each trade-off—tightens the net he’s spinning around those who use him. At times, the plotting is a little too neat, the metaphor of chess hammered home with a lack of subtlety, but it still has a sting. The sense of inevitability weighs heavily, even when you see the moves coming.
What really lingers is the quiet. The performances are restrained, almost muted, which keeps the drama grounded but occasionally blunts its impact. Fresh is smart, well-constructed, and bleakly inventive, but it doesn’t always connect emotionally. Still, as portraits of childhood shaped by hard choices go, it’s a memorable one—cool, calculated, and just a bit too careful.
The story sets itself up like a thriller but plays more like a slow, grim puzzle. Each move Fresh makes—each lie, each trade-off—tightens the net he’s spinning around those who use him. At times, the plotting is a little too neat, the metaphor of chess hammered home with a lack of subtlety, but it still has a sting. The sense of inevitability weighs heavily, even when you see the moves coming.
What really lingers is the quiet. The performances are restrained, almost muted, which keeps the drama grounded but occasionally blunts its impact. Fresh is smart, well-constructed, and bleakly inventive, but it doesn’t always connect emotionally. Still, as portraits of childhood shaped by hard choices go, it’s a memorable one—cool, calculated, and just a bit too careful.
Mini Review: Fresh follows a twelve-year-old who treats street life like a chess match—running drugs, scheming with unnerving calm, and outgrowing childhood too soon. It sets up as a thriller but plays as a grim puzzle, every move tightening his trap. The chess metaphor is heavy-handed, yet the inevitability stings. Performances are restrained, sometimes muting impact, but the film is smart, bleakly inventive, and memorable—cool, calculated, and a little too careful.