★★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Directed by Mimi Cave
Fresh stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Noa, a 20 something looking for love who is fed up by the losers she encounters on dating apps. One day at the grocery store she meets Steve, played by Sebastian Stan and after a few cheesy but charming pickup lines, gives him her phone number. What’s the harm? Nobody meets IRL anymore, right? When he does call a few days later the two set up a date and really hit it off.
After a few weeks of being hot and heavy, Steve invites Noa on a getaway weekend to a surprise location. Noa’s best friend Mollie (Jojo T. Gibbs) raises the red flag- how can Noa go off with this guy she doesn’t really know? But Noa promises to text as soon as she knows where the romantic getaway will be and Mollie acquiesces.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of traffic on the road so Steve takes Noa to his house to spend the night and promises they’ll hit the road in the morning. But there is no cell service at his house in the woods and the old fashioned cocktail Steve mixed beings to make Noa’s vision blurry… and then the credits begin (at the 30-minute mark) and what began as a romance takes a very sinister turn into an all out gorefest.
Fresh is just that, a fun and fresh take on horror with a few well-placed nods to some of the classic tropes; it’s amazing to think this Mimi Cave’s debut feature. The cast is phenomenal. Daisy Edgar- Jones charmed audiences in the super sexy series, Normal People, and continues to win hearts here. Jojo T. Gibbs, a relative newcomer is the kind of friend you’d want if you found yourself in this situation and an actress I really hope we see a lot more of. But it’s Sebastian Stan’s show-stopping mix of Ted Bundy meets Patrick Bateman that pushes this film over the top for me-I loved this film!
If you have managed to steer clear of any buzz surrounding the twist of this film then just stop reading and start streaming exclusively on Hulu.
If for some reason you’re still not convinced, check out the trailer below but be warned, it doesn’t spoil the film but dips it’s toe into spoiler territory- viewers beware!