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Fresh Off Markham

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Fresh Off Markham is a narrative collective between budding filmmakers Trevor Choi, Cyrus Lo and Kurt Yuen, and it’s a big swing to tell a story of small crime. The movie endures some bumps and bruises as it struggles to maintain a consistent tone while juggling too many character arcs, but this unpredictability also strings along the audience’s curiousity.

He Li and Nian Chang portray Chinese immigrants who, having settled in the melting pot of Markham, Ontario, are desperate for work and a decent financial cushion. After receiving no leads for job openings, the pals decide to create their own lucrative opportunity by robbing a local restaurant. The plan is foiled by the restaurant owner who attacks one of the men, which leads to an emergency trip to the hospital. But first, they’ll need a lift.

Fresh Off Markham is presented as a linear-stylized Pulp Fiction with a multicultural bite. Once we’re introduced to the clumsy crooks, the movie focuses on the rideshare driver they hijack as their getaway accomplice, and the social media influencer who originally scheduled the car. As minorities themselves, topics of race and and equality often rise to the surface in this otherwise unhinged crime yarn. But because the film lacks cohesiveness from the team of filmmakers who all seem to have different goals in mind (including deciding on whether Fresh Off Markham should primarily be a drama or a comedy), these passionate points are often cancelled out by the plot.

That said, as a slice of escalating entertainment that quickly enters into unpredictable absurdity, I can’t say I didn’t have fun with Fresh Off Markham. A guilty pleasure similar to the farcical and toothless rom-com Serial (Bad) Weddings. The film successfully serves up surprises, holding our anticipation from start to finish. Although the dramatic notes hold more resonance, despite its jarring shift in tone, the movie lands some good jokes too; mostly due to the bafflement and frustration of its characters within the getaway context.

A minor recommendation, but a recommendation nonetheless.

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