Director Meredith Alloway’s “Forbidden Fruits”cameout March 27. However, some were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the scandalously mysterious fruit named Mall Mean Girls at this year's South by Southwest film and music festival.
Here is what to expect from the campy, crazy and entertaining ride that is Alloway’s “Forbidden Fruits.”
Starring in the movie are Lili Reinhart as Apple, Victoria Pedretti as Cherry, Alexandra Shipp as Fig, Lola Tung as Pumpkin and Emma Chamberlainas Pickle.
Adapted from a stage play, the movie adopts a darkly comic tone with a theatrically corny approach. We follow the witchy coven of “The Fruits,” a trio of mall-ruling workers at the mall’s top clothing store, “Free Eden.” Apple, the leader of the trio, acts as the law-making tyrant whose domineering ways lead to cracks in the coven’s foundation.
We follow Cherry and Fig as the other members of the coven and how they deal with navigating the dark ways of their sisterhood, along with the impacts it has on its members, such as Pickle. With the introduction of a new coven member, Pumpkin, the secret agenda threatens to turn the sisterhood on its head.
The group’s dynamics become clear as the movie progresses. The gradual dissolution of their collective mental state, along with the weight of the group's status, starts to break down the girls. While we are introduced to their faceless supervisor, Sharon, played by Gabrielle Union, the young women are mostly unsupervised and engage in their own mean-girl behaviors.
“Forbidden Fruits” starts in a surreal, almost hysterical manner that can be overly campy for the first half of the movie. The dynamics of the characters introduce us to their suspicious behaviors, pasts and rituals, with a few hexes being put on individual characters. There is much to be desired in the buildup of the dialogue.
The first half of the movie is slow, with it being hard to piece together the film’s direction. Many of the plot points are easily put together through the transition from the first to the second half of the movie, and there is a lack of detail given to many of the plot points.
While we are told about character backgrounds in brief conversations and arguments, we are left with no real detail in the stories of the characters. The catalyst for conflict in the film isn’t well developed and is introduced in the final rise of action, only to fall flat with more questions to be asked.
The ending of the film felt more like the conclusion of the first episode of a series rather than an hour and 43-minute film. Some of this could be attributed to its atmospheric presence, reminiscent of the animated show “6-Teen.” The mall setting is heavily felt in the film.
While this acts as a wonderful setting for the plot of the movie, it also adds to the out-of-place feeling for certain elements of the film. Topped by the lack of detail in the stories, the girls' behaviors, mixed with the setting of the film, make their ages feel a little out of place. Fig is actively saving for graduate school, being her reason for joining the coven and working at “Free Eden.” This places her in her mid to late 20s, which feels out of place for the high school-like behaviors of the girls in the movie.
This movie feels like it should have been more reminiscent of the “Pretty Little Liars” reboot, “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.” Original Sin mixed the mature aspects of the plot with the campy-horror of the franchise, almost masterfully, despite the shows cancelation.
The slow pace of the film drags on until everything is revealed in a final confrontation between the girls. The audience is given the conclusion of the majority of the plot points that were built up throughout the duration of the film, which makes the last 20-25 minutes of the film the best part of the movie.
The comedic timing of all of the actors, along with their clear understanding and execution of their characters, makes this an enjoyable watch despite its needed improvements. Pedretti as Cherry is truly a highlight of the film, being a comedic relief throughout the film.
Each character has a place in the film, feeling like their role is purposeful, but the lack of elaboration makes it unclear what that purpose truly is. The characters often feel hollow by the end of the film, leaving the conclusion and cliffhanger both feeling optimistic for the continuation of the story, and sad that some characters won’t be further fleshed out.
“Forbidden Fruits” gives audiences a fresh new take on the dark-comedy genre, giving audiences a new rotten apple to bite into. Though that apple may be more skin than flesh.
RATING: 2.5/5
