Institute History
Description
Over the last three years, a number of films have depicted the ghetto, along with the gang world, drugs, and the pain and despair of poverty. But rarely have we seen anything approaching the authenticity and poignant reality captured by Boa' Yakin in his portrait of Fresh.
Fresh is a prodigy, in the street sense of the term, wise beyond his years, he's growing up in almost unbearable circumstances: with an aunt and his younger cousins in a crowded apartment. He supports himself and saves for his escape by working for a drug dealer, but is unusual because he's not at all taken in by the allure of ghetto glamour. Rather he's quiet and deliberate and terribly reluctant to miss school or take unnecessary risks. In fact fresh is such a true original that to reduce him to character categories does him a disservice, His sister Nicole is unfortunately setting off down the desperate path that we've often seen in films of this genre, but Fresh, resolute in his desire to free both of them, pursues a strategy that seems incredible for a boy his age. He sees his father, although he has been forbidden to do so, and they play speed chess in Washington Square. Though it is far from a "normal" father-son relationship, it helps fresh acquire the ability to adapt.
Yakln has written a number of previous scripts, and this feature debut thrives with writerly nuances, as well as carefully crafted dialogue, a superb narrative and strikingly effective and real characters. That it’s as entertaining a film as It was a script testifies to his skill as a director: he elicits strong performances, particularly from lead actor Sean Nelson and Samuel Jackson, who plays the father. There is both distinctive realism and an originality in Fresh that well up from a world which we've seen before, but is seldom captured with this intelligence and emotion.
Sunday Jan 23 10:20 am
Holiday Village Cinema II
Monday Jan 24 12:30 pm
Park City library Center
Wednesday Jan 28 8:30 pm
Tower Theatre, Salt lake City
Thursday Jan 21 10:00 pm
Egyptian Theatre
Saturday Jan 29 4:20 pm
Holiday Village Cinema II
$7.00