Fresh

As "Fresh" (2022 release; 115 min.) opens, we got to know Noa, a twenty-something woman who is not having much luck on the dating scene. Then one night she gets to know a guy while at the grocery store. They hit it off, and before we know it, they are off on a weekend vacation...

Couple of comments: this is the feature length debut of director Mimi Cave. Equally important, this is written by Lauryn Kahn ("Ibiza"). The way the movie is described by IMDb is utterly and completely misleading. This movie is not about "the horrors of modern dating". This is an outright scary movie, and a startling and disturbing one at that. I had no inkling whatsoever what was about to unfold. The movie is plot heavy so I really can't say much more about that. Even though the movie is unsettling, I will also say that this is one of the better movies I have seen so far this year. The two lead performances from Sebastian Stan (whom we saw most recently in "Pam & Tommy"), and British up-and-coming actress Daisy Edgar-Jones, are tops. Kudos must go to both Lauryn Kahn (for coming up with this idea) and Mimi Cave (for implementing into onto the screen). As a complete aside, I recently saw "Drive My Car", where the opening credits started rolling 40 min into the movie, something I cannot recall having ever seen before. Well, guess what: the opening credits for "Fresh" start rolling only about 35 min into it!

"Fresh" premiered at this year's Sundance film festival, and not even two months later, it started streaming on Hulu. If you are in the mood for a scary movie that is at times disturbing and unsettling, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Fresh (2022) is a movie I recently watched on Hulu. The storyline follows a single lady a little desperate to find a half decent date. She finds a nice guy and they date for several weeks and then he pops the big question, "would you like to take a cabin trip?" She's excited and goes changing her life forever...

This movie is directed by Mimi Cave in her directorial debut and stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (War of the Worlds), Sebastian Stan (Captain America: Winter Soldier), Jojo T. Gibbs (Twenties), Dayo Okeniyi (See) and Andrea Bang (Luce).

The storyline for this is very well paced and delivered. I really liked the plot, characters and how the circumstances unfold. There is really good dialogue and chemistry between the characters and intensity in the circumstances. The horror elements are subtle and while I watched the film unfold I was a bit disappointed there wasn't much gore, especially with this premise; however, the ending is so strong and well done it makes up for it.

Overall this is a fantastic "new" addition to the horror genre at a time horror fans are starved for something new and original. I would score this an 8.5-9/10 and strongly recommend it.

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"FRESH is an unforgettably shocking start to another Sundance Film Festival, holding all of the characteristics to end up as one of the absolute favorites.

Mimi Cave delivers an extraordinarily captivating, assertive directorial debut, taking Lauryn Kahn's original, gruesome screenplay to the next level. Sebastian Stan demonstrates his ludicrous range, while Daisy Edgar-Jones gives a breakthrough performance that may warrant a couple of awards by the end of the festival.

With an extremely engaging yet too quick first act, the viewers are immediately grabbed by the endearing love story that slowly builds up to a brutally impactful revelation, leading the movie into a rabbit hole of (in)tense, suspenseful, surprising developments.

The last twenty minutes are the definition of insanity."

Rating: A-

8/10 - Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, and Jojo T. Gibbs all turn in solid performances in this unique, wonderfully weird, slightly repulsive, and entrancing horror comedy (with a fantastic payoff) that is perfect for fans of fellow Searchlight release, Ready or Not.

The ending is a bit rushed and the third act is slower compared to the second and first, but with good performances, captivating cinematography and solid direction, Fresh culminates into an enjoyable thriller.