This review is going to be a little different. I always think you should go into a new movie knowing as little as possible, just what’s in the trailers (though they seem to be getting worse with how much they give away) and maybe a quick plot description. If you want less than that, more power to you. And every so often a movie comes along where I think that attitude is strongly encouraged, if not required. And Fresh is that type of movie.
That’s not to say if you know the big hook it’s going to ruin your experience. It’s no gimmick. Any emotional pull or connection will still be there. But it’s going to knock you on your ass in a way it simply can’t if you know it’s coming. Sure, writer Lauryn Kahn and director Mimi Cave drop some clever, subtle hints along the way, but they serve more as fun tidbits to look back on after the fact.
So what can I tell you about Fresh? Well, there’s the big picture. Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is frustrated and jaded by the modern dating experience. The constant swiping, left, right, left, right. The losers, the jerks. All of it. She’s ready to give up. And it’s perhaps exactly that attitude that allows her interest to be piqued when she meets bumbling yet still charming plastic surgeon Steve (Sebastian Stan) at the supermarket.
He’s everything the guys she’s been seeing aren’t. She decides to give him a chance and they hit it off. So well, in fact, that she agrees go a weekend getaway with him after just a few dates. Noa’s best friend Mollie (Jonica T. Gibbs) thinks he must be too good to be true, maybe he’s married, something has to be going on. Like any good friend, she wants to know as much as she can about this new guy she’s so enamored with. That proves difficult, as Steve doesn’t have social media and there’s nary a trace of his existence to be found anywhere online. That only turns the flags redder in Mollie’s eyes. Noa doesn’t agree, and goes ahead with the trip.
This is where Fresh takes its turn, and where I stop giving away specific details. Again, it’s not something you’ll see coming, unless you’re paying really close attention. With relatively little marketing and hype surrounding its release, Fresh is one of the rare movies you can go into these days where the actual plot can still be kept a secret. Revel in that fact, and make sure you see this as soon as possible. Lessen the possibility of having its twists and turns inadvertently spoiled.
But of course, a good hook does not a good movie make. And Fresh has that covered. With just a few supporting characters, it’s mostly a two-hander between Edgar-Jones and Stan. This was my first time seeing Edgar-Jones’ work, and I loved her here. The film teeters at times between believable and not, and her steady performance helps keep it just grounded enough. It’s Stan who really gets to play here. He hits all sorts of different beats, from sweet and charming to menacing and scary at the drop of hat. There’s a terrific dynamic between the two, as they play off each other perfectly.
Then there are the themes at play. If you want to view this as a surface level thriller/horror (the last little glimpse of Flesh’s true plot), it works great on that level. And if you want to read deeper into it, there’s plenty to discuss there as well. Modern dating, gender dynamics, misogyny, Kahn’s script hits on several important, relevant issues. And more than that, she actually has something to say about them. She doesn’t just drop them in flippantly, as though ticking items off a check list. That being said, there are some other topics that are alluded to that maybe would have worked better as central themes.
As great as Edgar-Jones and Stan are, Fresh could have used some more fleshed-out side characters. At nearly two hours, there was time to work with. And some of the Noa/Steve scenes do feel like they drag just a little bit. Toss some of those minutes to other characters, like Mollie (and to be fair, Gibbs is great in her limited role), and you likely have a more well-rounded movie.
Timing and pacing are also a concern with the ending. For such an otherwise methodically paced story, the ending ultimately feels a tad rushed and thrown together. It still mostly works, but it could have been stretched out some. Or one or two of those aforementioned Noa/Steve scenes could have been cut down, allowing for a better flowing final act.
But leading up to that, Fresh is a deliciously fun and twisted romp. The ending isn’t exactly bad, it’s just not as good as you would hope, given what came before. And what comes before is (I’m sorry) fresh and new. So get to watching this while it’s still relatively new and easier to avoid spoilers.
Score: 84/100
No trailer this time.
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