- Starring
- Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jojo T. Gibbs
- Writer
- Lauryn Kahn
- Director
- Mimi Cave
- Rating
- R (United States)
- Running Time
- 114 minutes
- Release Date
- March 4th, 2022
Overall Score
Rating Summary
This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.
There are just certain films that are best going into as blind as possible in order to best experience what they have to offer. The aptly-titled Fresh is the latest example of one of those films. That title could be felt in many different ways throughout the film which, without giving too much away, can be described as a wild and subversive ride that goes in an unexpected direction to say the least as this modern commentary on dating and relationships takes a dark turn, resulting in a tense and darkly-comedic thriller that is sure to leave audiences on the edge of their seats. The feature directorial debut of Mimi Cave, the film boasts plenty of style, a cool soundtrack, and guts but in the end, what ties it all together was the terrific lead performances from Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan who both shine. Just a warning, the film will definitely not be for those who are feint of heart.
Fresh follows a woman named Noa (Edgar-Jones) who was single and tired of the dating grind. Taking a chance and doing something different, she decided to give her number to a charming and awkward cosmetic surgeon named Steve (Stan). This chance appeared to have worked out for her as there appeared to be a connection there as they quickly took their relationship to the next level. Agreeing to a weekend getaway, little did Noa know that things were not quite as they seemed. It was from that point where the film truly took off as Noa found herself in a dangerous and over-the-top situation serving as an allegory for the objectification of women that went much deeper and was further reaching than just her all while her best friend Mollie (Gibbs) became increasingly worried about her absence therefore went out to look for her but little did she know what she would find herself along the way.
As mentioned, Fresh is tense watch but Noa was no mere woman in distress and certainly held her own and was compelling to watch while doing so. That being said, her survival wasn’t a sure thing as far as Steve was concerned. That dynamic, lifted by a sharp script, ultimately made the film and would not have worked if not for the terrific performances from Edgar-Jones and Stan as Noa and Steve respectively. Each were a force in their own way with the former bringing energy and absolutely commanded the screen and the latter was a delightfully charming yet layered psychopath. Meanwhile, Gibbs was a scene-stealer as Mollie.
At the end of the day, Fresh is exactly the fresh experience we need.
*still courtesy of Sundance
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
