FRESH

Going into Mimi Cave's Fresh blind truly is the best way to experience this film. It possesses such a mysterious tone built up from its first act which is a major part in the film's selling point. Don't even trust any trailers because you know what they're like these days, show you the whole film and reveal things that should definitely wait for the film. 

The horrors of modern dating are seen through the eyes of Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a young woman frustrated with every man she comes across until she bumps into Steve (Sebastian Stan) at the grocery store. Swept up in her very real feelings at the start of a promising new relationship, Noa starts to feel things may be too good to be true. Just not for the reasons anyone would ever expect.

Fresh is a commendable directorial debut from Mimi Cave, showing glimpses of a promising future with the way she utilises Martin Pensa's editing and Pawel Pogorzelski intimate cinematography in flashes to create such an uneasy feeling for the audience. To go into it more would lead to spoilers so you'll have to check it out for yourself. 

Where the films falters for me is that Lauryn Kahn's writing doesn't make the most of the film's concept. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty bonkers what happens however, it feels as if there's a major missed opportunity to lean into it more and make this a really absurd film, instead they settle for playing it rather safe. Sounds weird saying that with the subject matter of the film but everything in the film, even its closing moments, just feel like they're holding back a little. 

Coming to the performance, Fresh has a strong foundation to build on, its leads in particular doing a lot to make this such an energetic film. Daisy Edgar-Jones possesses such innocence as Noa in the early stages before going through a real transformation throughout, Edgar-Jones selling it so well to the audience. Sebastian Stan has quite an obscure filmography outside his role in the MCU and Fresh certainly backs that up. He's charming and charismatic as Steve before becoming genuinely terrifying without changing completely, something again that can't be explored further at the risk of spoilers. 

Is Fresh a horror film that's going to change cinema as we know it? Of course not. What it is though is a perfectly entertaining directorial debut from Mimi Cave that might make you wince a few times and downright hurl another, Edgar-Jones and Stan playing off each other so well throughout.

Verdict: ★★★½