Film Review: Forbidden Fruits

Forbidden Fruits
Director: Meredith Alloway
Independent Film Company, Shudder
In Theaters: 03.27.2026

Crawling out of the most unholy fiery depths and adorned in eye-catching (or eye-gouging – take your pick) mall attire, Forbidden Fruits joins the ranks of Jennifer’s Body, Heathers, Jawbreaker and The Craft as part of the aestheticized toxic female friendships subgenre. It’s a film where the glamour and the sinisterness intertwine to create something confounding yet mesmerizing.

Based on the play by Lily Houghton, Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die, the entire film takes place in a Dallas, Texas, mall where the titular fruits, Apple (Lili Reinhart, Riverdale, Hustlers), Cherry (Victoria Pedretti, The Haunting of Hill House, You) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp Tick, Tick… Boom!, Barbie), rule the retail kingdom with fierce confidence and stunning fashion as the salesgirls of the high-end store Free Eden. When newcomer, Pumpkin (Lola Tung, The Summer I Turned Pretty), applies for a salesgirl position at Free Eden, the fruits believe they have found the missing piece to their group and invite her into their coven to take part in paradise. The more Pumpkin entrenches herself in the group, the more the cracks in this seemingly unbreakable sisterhood begin to show. From Apple’s cold yet controlling nature to the apparent fear and secrets the other two fruits desperately try to hide, the film will have you engaged from beginning to end. 

The film conveys its tone from the first scene, with Apple throwing her hot coffee at a perverted bystander. There’s a sense of confidence in its comically dark edge, perfectly juxtaposed by the pastel settings. The actresses also encapsulate that confidence and bring it to life through their characters. Reinhart deftly embodies Apple’s dominant nature, initially coming off as confident and intimidating but also revealing glimpses of an unbridled rage that slowly but surely comes to the forefront. Her sardonic and deadpan performance makes for some hilarious line deliveries, while also sending chills with just her facial expressions. Pedretti also completely disappears into her role as Cherry. It is role that in the wrong hands could easily be written off as just the airhead of the group, but Pedretti’s performance captures the tragedy that surrounds the character, both from the pain of losing her family and her need for Apple’s approval. That isn’t to discount Shipp and Tung, either, who both bring a certain charm to the two more level-headed characters. Shipp seems to barely hold herself together due to her secret and need to distance herself from the group and Tung with her skeptical nature. The only disappointment would be the underutilization of Gabrielle Union (10 Things I Hate About You, Deliver Us from Eva) as Sharon and Emma Chamberlain as Pickle, characters and performances who could have made the film feel that much richer.

Forbidden Fruits is the kind of film that harkens back to the gossip and pinks of 2000s sleepovers. While I do advocate for audiences to catch a screening in theaters, the film would be right at home playing on a CRT TV as a group of girls crowd around and watch the devilishly campy events unfold. One obvious highlight of the film is the characters’ outfits that will surely inspire many moodboards. These pieces revel in quintessential mall fashion while also giving insight into the characters’ personalities and the coven’s dynamic. The only negatives regarding the film’s aesthetics would be the flat lighting and overall color grading. They were the main frustration throughout my viewing experience and dulled the more brutal aspects of the film. The film’s atmosphere would feel that much more impactful by incorporating high-contrast lighting and more saturated color. These changes would also better highlight the darker elements while amplifying its campy identity. 

The characters’ friendship works as a great analysis and dissection of women’s place in the world and the bonds they form with each other through a shared sense of powerlessness and desire to take back their agency. Each of the girls has faced a sort of hardship or tragedy, and in some ways it is what links them together. The girls find strength and self-assurance through each other; their coven is their paradise. Still, it is through this dynamic that toxicity ripens. After all, a garden sown in unamended soil can only yield an infested harvest. And as the fruits try to push down their own issues and keep their secrets at bay, all hell breaks loose when it all inevitably comes to the head. While their paradise was created as a sanctuary from the misogynistic world, Apple’s domineering personality and tight hold over the group, along with Pumpkin’s meddling, allow animosity to take root in their personal Eden and chaos to ensue. It works as both a celebration of female solidarity and an indictment of the girlboss “have it all” mindset. 

Forbidden Fruits delivers on what it promises: a gruesomely good time with the girls, full of laughs and gore. It is as thoughtfully cutting as it is goofy, giving a look at the contradictions that exist within female solidarity with an intentionally humorous tone. It is the perfect film to add to a “slaughter in style” movie marathon. —Angela Garcia

Read more film reviews by Angela Garcia:
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