Fresh is a 2022 horror comedy film directed by Mimi Cave, in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Lauryn Kahn. Adam McKay produced the film alongside Kevin J. Messick and Maeve Cullinane. Fresh premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20th, 2022, where it was acquired by Searchlight Pictures. Searchlight Pictures, originally Fox Searchlight, was acquired by Disney back in 2019 and eventually dropped the “Fox” from the name altogether. Due to so much uncertainty brought on by the seemingly never-ending pandemic, Searchlight Pictures has opted to release the majority of its 2022 slate direct-to-streaming, deciding to take that route with Fresh having it debut on the Disney owned streaming service, Hulu.
The horrors of modern dating seen through one young woman's defiant battle to survive her new boyfriend's unusual appetites.
The cast includes Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jojo T. Gibbs, Dayo Okeniyi, Charlotte Le Bon, and Andrea Bang.
Fresh premiered on Hulu March 4th, courtesy of Hulu and Searchlight Pictures.
THE GOOD
Fresh landed on my radar only a few months ago, just one of those films that sort of caught me by surprise once the trailer released, but the fact that Sebastian Stan was in a lead role had me sold right away. Plus, the film made quite an impression at the Sundance Film Festival where it was acquired by Hulu, and that is always a good sign if you ask me. But with it being a directorial debut film that went straight to streaming, I planned to keep my expectations in check just in case. So, is Fresh worth a few hours of your time? Keep reading to find out!
Long story short, this movie was fantastic and an all-around pleasant surprise. After first watching the trailer and reading up on the premise I was expecting something more along the lines of Julia Ducournau’s indie horror thriller Raw (preview and trailer here), which is now streaming on Netflix, in terms of the overall shock factor and general subject matter. I would’ve kept watching even if it was more in that ballpark, but Fresh caught me completely off guard as it was entirely different movie compared to what I was expecting. And I mean that in the best way possible. The film has such an organic feel to it from the start, diving right into the real horrors of the modern world which is of course, dating. Now for anyone who has been down the rabbit hole of dating apps where you swipe right or left until your head hurts, its brutal.
The lead character Noa, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, feels stuck as in her mind she needs to escape the single life but ends up going on dates that serve as little more than a good story. Like the very granola guy who lets her know in advance that the restaurant they are meeting at for the first time is cash only. Brutal, but trust me when I say these things happen. I had a girl once tell me that the guy she went for a date with told her mid-dinner that his account was overdrawn and he would need her to pay the bill, needless to say that made me feel so much better about myself back in my earlier days. To her surprise, she somehow organically meets someone in the grocery store, the charming and charismatic Steve, played by Sebastian Stan. I won’t give anything away in terms of why I was caught so off guard by the direction the film would take as I think that is part of what makes it so good, but let me just say that by the time these two met I was invested to the point of no return, and could not wait to see what happened next.
I touched on it a bit already, but the driving force for Fresh is without a doubt the collaboration between director Mimi Cave and the screenplay from Laura Kahn, coupled with the performances which I will touch on a bit later in the review. Cave, a Los Angeles native, is primarily known for her work on music videos and short films, but she hits the ground running with her feature-film debut. Kahn, who got her start behind the scenes on a few Adam McKay films including Step Brothers and The Other Guys, previously saw her debut feature-film script come to fruition in 2018 with the Netflix comedy drama, Ibiza. Her vision was apparent from the start, and even with a runtime of just under 2-hours, Fresh never once felt boring. The subject matter may be tough to swallow for most viewers, pun intended, but the delivery is so smooth and authentic that the film is extremely watchable all things considered and even has replay value. It felt like cautionary tale meets character study, and I can guarantee you that the film will stick with you long after you finish it.
I was not expecting powerhouse performances from a direct-to-streaming film, but boy was I wrong. The acting in Fresh is nothing short of exceptional, and I won’t be able to get Sebastian Stan’s character out of my head for weeks. I’m not surprised in the slightest that Hulu snatched this up at Sundance, and I personally feel like Stan’s character deserves some awards consideration. Unfortunately for Stan, Fresh did not receive the required limited release in theaters. His character has an infectious personality that masks the darkness in such a way that he will be toying with your emotions during the majority of the film. I knew something felt eerily familiar about his character, and once I read that in preparation for the film Stan Stan worked with a famous Ted Bundy expert, it all made sense. Somehow Stan portrays the best Ted Bundy, without actually playing Bundy at all. Go figure. I don’t want to give anything away, but he is one of the most genuinely friendly and energetic sociopaths I have ever seen in film. Stan sort of combines Ted Bundy and Christian Bale’s Trevor Reznik character from The Machinist. Talk about quite the combo, just hope you never cross paths with this guy in the produce section of your local grocery store.
Next I have to talk about the performance from Daisy Edgar-Jones, who takes on the other lead role and is actually the primary character in the film. First and foremost, her chemistry with Stan is just perfection. Even as their relationship develops like a roller-coaster ride, the chemistry always feels genuine helping viewers get the most out of the story. Edgar-Jones reminds me of a cross between Dakota Johnson and another actress I can literally picture but for some reason I can’t recall the name of or what she has been in and it is driving me insane. But yeah, ignoring whether or not I am slowly losing my mind, the 23-year-old actress who grew up in London is very talented and has an extremely bright career ahead of her. Her ability to display a number of complex emotions and match the acting abilities of a veteran like Stan impressed me a ton, and I could see right away why she was offered this role. I was genuinely surprised to learn that Fresh is only her second film appearance, working primarily in television up until 2018. Mark my words, we will see more from her sooner than later. The supporting cast consisting primarily of Jojo T. Gibbs, Dayo Okeniyi, and Charlotte Le Bon, were all great as well.
Similar to the acting, the technical elements of the film defy what you’d expect from a streaming film. The attention to detail and just how intentional each shot feels just makes for an experience that feels far-reaching, yet somehow grounded in reality. Director Mimi Cave flexes an eye for detail as well as what seems to be a very deliberate and signature style which I am excited to see more of. Cinematography is an element of filmmaking that is often underappreciated this day and age if you ask me, but lucky for me Fresh does a fantastic job of reminding us exactly why it matters. We are treated to some great exterior shots making sure that each environment has that lived-in feel which I thought was important, but what stood out most to be was how immersive the film felt once we landed in what would be the films primary location. I wasn’t sure why the cinematography felt so familiar to me until I realized it was the work of cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski, the talented mind behind Hereditary (full review here), Midsommar (full review here), and Nobody (full review here). Pogorzelski’s ability to blend genre’s in a way that only he is capable of was a big reason why Fresh hits so many highs, and so few lows.
THE BAD
I have very little to say about this film as far as negatives. First of all it exceeded my expectations, but it also wasn’t nearly as cringeworthy or reliant on the shock factor as I expected it to be. But with that being said, the subject matter will likely be too much for some viewers which could make Fresh one that you should skip, but that’s entirely up to you. I can’t really think of a film I would compare it to, but because it never really goes down the “I need to cover my eyes” rabbit hole, everyone should at least give it a try otherwise you’ll be missing out. Think cannibalism, but the upper-class black tie version if that makes any sense at all.
THE VERDICT
A shockingly effective genre-defining horror comedy brought to life by exceptional performances from Sebastian Stan and Daisy Edgar-Jones, Fresh is one of the more impressive directorial debuts in recent memory and a great reason to keep an eye on Mimi Cave. I really enjoyed this film, from the story to the performances, right down to what I felt was a very satisfying ending. More than anything else, Fresh felt like nothing I have seen in quite some time, and that in itself is quite a rarity. If you are looking for what is conceivably a rare blend of horror and comedy with a dash of mystery at its core, and much more immersive than you could ever begin to imagine, this without a doubt checks all of the boxes and is something I have no issue recommending.
Bottom line, Fresh takes the horrors of dating to another level entirely, and will likely leave viewers that are currently single swearing off relationships altogether. I mean seriously, if I was single and went on a date after watching this movie, I’d lock myself in my bedroom and order takeout for the foreseeable future. Be sure to give this a watch sooner than later and keep an eye out for what’s to come next from Mimi Cave.
TED TAKES RATING - 8.7/10
Fresh is now streaming on Hulu. Check out the latest trailer below.