In black-comedy horror, Fresh, a young woman called Noa is playing the dating game and finding that every man she meets is a complete jerk. That is until she has a chance encounter with a seemingly charming man called Steve, who she meets in the supermarket.
After getting into a brief conversation, Steve asks Noa for her phone number and the next evening they go on a date. The pair have drinks at a bar, get on really well, and end up back at Noa’s house, where they spend the night together.
The next day Steve suggests they go away on a surprise trip. Feeling completely at ease with Steve, and happy to have met someone she shares a connection with, Noa agrees to the getaway and the two set off.
As Noa gets into Steve’s car, Steve informs her they will need to delay the trip until the following morning. However, in the meantime, they can stay at his house – which Noa has no issues with.
But once they arrive at Steve’s house, Noa quickly learns the type of person her date really is. She also finds herself in a horrifying situation, the likes of which she could never have imagined.
Directed by Mimi Cave, Fresh stars Daisey Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jonica T. Gibbs, and Dayo Okeniyi. The movie marks Cave’s feature film debut, and what a great debut it is!
Fresh is creepy, tense, and completely captivating. The movie is also deeply disturbing, often humorous, and pant-wettingly terrifying.
The film looks at the ease with which strangers can charm themselves into someone’s life, and the horrors that can follow as a result. It goes to places that are quite unexpected, and features two very strong central performances.
Daisey Edgar-Jones is great as Noa, bringing a likeable charm and relatability to the role. While Sebastian Stan is simply superb as Steve, playing someone who is cold and calculating, yet also warm and friendly – a sort of Patrick Bateman, meets Hannibal Lecter, via Dr. Giggles.
The two actors work well together, but it is Stan who really steals the show. This is very much his movie, and if you’re a fan of his Marvel work, you’re sure to like what he serves up in this picture.
I don’t want to give too much away about the plot of Fresh, but what I will say is the first 30 minutes of the film play out as you might expect, with Noa traversing the dating scene before finding a connection with Steve. This is where the film feels very much like a rom-com, drawing in its audiences with some light touches, which provide a bit of social commentary on the world of online dating.
Then from the 30-minute mark onwards, things take a sharp turn. The story branches into pitch black territory, which gets ghastlier as the story progresses.
At every step of the way the movie is engaging, interesting, and a lot of fun. Sure, at times Fresh is dark as heck, and may churn a few stomachs here and there, but it is also very playful, quite amusing, and pretty suspenseful.
With Fresh, Mimi Cave manages to build up a considerable amount of tension which makes the whole movie thrilling. The director knows just how to create the right mood and atmosphere too, which all also helps to develop a significant amount of unease.
Then when things look truly dire, the director finds ways to lighten the load a little, often through the use of music. The soundtrack to Fresh is a great deal of fun, and works perfectly as a counterpoint to the black comedy.
Do you want a horror movie that includes tracks such as ‘Heads Will Roll’ and ‘Thank You For Being a Friend’? Then you’ve found it.
Fresh is a really strong feature film and is ideal for those who like a bit of tongue in cheek horror. I believe it’s safe to say that I found a lot to like in Fresh and it gets a recommend from me.
It is a film which held my attention throughout and one which kept getting better the longer I watched. Sebastian Stan is reason enough to take a look, but Mimi Cave’s direction shows so much potential for the future and I can’t wait to see what she delivers next.
If you wish to check out Fresh, the movie is currently streaming on Hulu in the US, and from Friday 18th March it will be available in the UK via Disney+. Be sure to check it out, as Fresh is a deliciously dark tale, which adds a terrifying twist to the perils of the dating scene.
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