Sundance Film Festival movie review: 'Fresh'
Image courtesy of Sundance Film Festival.
Sebastian Stan charms & chills as a twisted Mr. Right in the modern dating thriller 'Fresh' (premiering at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and streaming on Hulu on March 4).
In short: Fed up with modern dating scene, twentysomething Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) finally has a charming meet-cute with disarmingly awkward Steve (Stan) ... who has very unusual side business.
Upfront warning: 'Fresh' is not for the squeamish. This film isn't non-stop gore - in fact, the first half hour could be lifted from any run-of-the-mill dating rom-com. But after the title card finally drops (33 minutes into the film - once the plot takes a crazy turn), 'Fresh' has zero reservations when it comes to ramping up cold, chilling carnage. Its deliberate, selective use of graphic violence accentuates its visceral moments.
Sebastian Stan is disarmingly charming and devilishly creepy as the boyfriend Steve who seems too perfect to be true. 'Fresh' absolutely delights in its sinister cruelty, with Steve joyfully singing and dancing ... while partaking in some particularly ghoulish acts. This veneer of pure charisma atop a gruesome character makes Steve all more evil - just evil with a perfect smile.
Daisy Edgar-Jones gets to play an utterly unconventional 'final girl.' Whereas Laurie Strode or Sidney Prescott had to brutally physically fight back against Michael Myers or Ghostface, Noa takes her fight for survival to a more psychological plane. Knowing that no amount of force or resistance save her, Noa's fight is a battle of wills that adds a disturbing new layer to 'Fresh.' Steve's actions are unquestionably evil - but the most compelling aspect of 'Fresh' is watching Noa dip her toes into the darkness - a darkness that Steve gleefully, unapologetically lives in.
The only aspect of 'Fresh' that feels a bit stale involves Noa's best friend Mollie (Jojo T. Gibbs), a character who merely exists to be the cautionary voice of reason in the modern dating world. She has a sub-plot that runs parallel to Noa's main plot - but Mollie is there simply to advance the story. All the exposition and story reveals that Mollie discovers could have been accomplished just through Noa and Steve's interactions.
Final verdict: 'Fresh' updates the romance genre with an evocative, razor-sharp satire that chops up the conventional modern dating flick.
Score: 4/5
'Fresh' screens at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and streams on Hulu on March 4. This thriller is rated R for strong and disturbing violent content, some bloody images, language throughout, some sexual content and brief graphic nudity and has a running time of 114 minutes.
