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There is always that one person who is the outsider. When it comes to films surrounding this age, the 2010s and 2020s generation of teenagers, that outsider is me. I should have known it going into the cinema, and properly prepared myself. Alas, I entered anyway, wondering what I would walk out of thinking about. The world premiere of Forbidden Fruits at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival occurred with numerous breakouts of laughter and ended in monstrous applause. The fruits in attendance made the world see just how close female friends can be. No matter how one finds the content of the film, the female empowerment that it provides cannot be denied.
Meredith Alloway is a creative director, no doubt. But her latest feature film was made for a specific target audience. I, unfortunately, did not meet that target. I have always found myself above the age of my current cohort and perhaps a bit too old in spirit to understand everything we discuss. With Forbidden Fruits, the girls are there to be entertainment for the generation of young women who want empowerment and campy fun. Definitely a future cult classic to look out for.
Forbidden Fruits — SXSW 2026 Review
Set in a Dallas shopping mall, Free Eden employee Apple (Lili Reinhart) runs a secret witchy female only cult after hours. With coworkers Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp), the fruits seek one more to complete the retail cycle. New hire, Pumpkin (Lola Tung) fits the criteria just right. However, once comfortable in her position, she begins to challenge their performative sisterhood. In doing so, she forces the others to face the poisons of their past, or fall into their otherwise bloody fate.
From the perspective of appreciating the craft, all the elements of a good film are there. Working closely with original writer Lily Houghton, the two co-writers did indeed create a stylistic and crafty world. Though it has been classified as a comedy horror film, the elements are full comedy until the horror is needed. Quite creative in the way they do not reveal the frightful quality of the film until the bitter end, keeping the audience wanting more from the beginning. Those who enter feeling prepared for what they will receive, truly will never know.
There is a slight discomfort for me in Forbidden Fruits that I find in many of these generation type films. Let us just say that it was the same while watching films like Bottoms or Bodies Bodies Bodies. These films are made so well, but it is the over exaggeration or the generational connection where it loses me. For the viewer who is slightly disconnected from the trends and fads, a film that flows so well into it is less able to capture this demographic’s attention. But for those who know the trends and fit the vibe, they are fully immersed into the world of the fruits. Perhaps in some ways they too could see themselves falling under Apple’s spell.
Succumbing to the lure of the fruits is definitely due to the talent and chemistry of the actors. For completely different roles in their past, these four actors come together and bring the female power to the forefront. Reinhart, Tung, Pedretti, and Shipp, even Chamberlain, all have different backgrounds, so to see them together in Forbidden Fruits is something mesmerizing. Reinhart brings the grit and power to the main character of the group. The strength she has controls not only the other fruits, but the screen as well. In Pedretti’s portrayal of Cherry you have the typical dumb blonde with more innocence and heart added to the role. Shipp is masterful at being the weird girl of the group, but enjoys her time carefully poking at the others. Then with newcomer Pumpkin, Tung has such precision in the balance between coming across innocent to the fruits but mischievous to the audience. The surprising appearance of Emma Chamberlain also brings laughter all around.
As each of the actors bring something special to their character, their performances are elevated by the film and its style. Alloway has the talent and the eye for creating a vibrant and polished film. There is a clear influence from past pieces of camp cult classics imbued within Forbidden Fruits. There is vision behind the camera and magic in the detail. When you have a film that is literally about enchantment, witches and curses, it is important the director and crew can feel it themselves.
Even though the film did not hit its target audience with me, it definitely reaches it in most. You know a film is good when it can still be seen and felt as a wonderful piece of cinema, even when you do not entirely enjoy the contents. That is what most cult classics wind up feeling like. They are the films that are loved by some, but revered by others. That is what makes it all worth it. Finding your audience, bringing the campy style to those who crave it. Bringing a group of females together, though more happens than just sisterhood, and then sharing their magic with the world. This is what the future of cinema needs. Female voices at the helm.
Grade: C+
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Forbidden Fruits
Free Eden employee Apple secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the mall store after hours – with fellow fruits Cherry and Fig. But, when new hire Pumpkin challenges their performative sisterhood, the women are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate.
Release Date: March 27, 2026
Director: Meredith Alloway
Cast: Lili Reinhart , Lola Tung , Victoria Pedretti
