Nate At The Movies

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Though I may be a legit film critic now, I’m not at the level yet where I’m going to film festivals. That didn’t stop me from getting introduced to Forbidden Fruits, and keeping my eye on it as it did pretty well at SXSW. The cast looked great here, and I was excited to try something a bit out of my comfort zone tonight. While I wouldn’t say Forbidden Fruits outclassed the movies it took inspiration from—like Mean Girls and The Devil Wears Prada—it was nonetheless a worthy tribute to its own canon, and a pretty enjoyable surprise for Morgan and me.

Even at 100 minutes, Forbidden Fruits was a slow burn that took the time to develop its characters and establish the underground world of the Highland Place Mall. Side note: I also loved seeing a movie set in DFW! The culture of Free Eden and the Fruits was very interesting, as were the power struggles and manipulative relationships at their center. Their effectiveness was very dependent on the chemistry of the actresses, and this group was tight. Outside of Season 1 of The Summer I Turned Pretty and a few acting credits from Alexandra Shipp (like Tick, Tick… Boom!, which I love), I hadn’t seen much of this ensemble, but they bounced off of each other so well. Lili Reinhart anchored the group as Apple, though Victoria Pedretti’s Cherry was Morgan and I’s personal favorite.

I know it’s a bit silly to compare this movie to Sinners, but both were very effective at paying off patient character development with satisfying horror in the final act. I did prefer the horror and gore of Sinners if only because the kills weren’t as Final Destination-y, but the level of gore in Forbidden Fruits was perfect for me. The story also semi-stuck the landing with the tornado and fountain fight, and I thought Apple ending the movie by repeating the cycle was fantastic. Also, Gabby Union out of nowhere? How did Meredith Alloway pull this cast in her feature debut?

Forbidden Fruits was a creative horror-comedy with fun kills, compelling cult elements, and amazing costume design that won’t even get crumbs come awards season because of the movie’s tiny release. I think some people could go see this movie and hate it and still come out of the theater happy because the costumes were that good. Morgan was even trying to figure out which of the Fruits she wanted to start dressing like (joking, of course). I was surprised by how much I liked this movie, and I’d love for it to get some more attention. I may have to be the one to beat the drum for it, but that’s fine with me. We owe it to Marilyn.