By Alexandria Woolfe
Mimi Cave’s “Fresh” gives a modern spin on the thriller genre by focusing on modern dating gone wrong, starring actors Sebastian Stan as Steve/Brendan and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Noa.
The film begins with Edgar-Jones’s character going on what is seemingly her umpteenth online date. On decidedly the worst rendezvous of her life, Noa’s date spends the entire time talking about himself and takes home her leftovers, leaving her to wonder if she can even find love in the age of the internet.
Days later, after multiple bad dates, Noa finds herself at the produce section of a supermarket, where she is approached by the flirty and seemingly awkward Stan, who first introduces himself as Steve. Noa finds herself enamored by the handsome, witty stranger.
After the characters meet and go on a date, the two take their first couple’s vacation, where it is revealed that Steve is not everything we’d hoped him to be. The film’s title drops across the screen at about 32 minutes in, and you are left excited yet scared for Noa going forward.
What starts out as a seemingly normal boy-meets-girl spark that would ultimately lead to a whirlwind romance, turns into Steve slipping Noa a roofie, leaving her unconscious. The suspense is in full gear at this point, as Noa is now kidnapped, with Steve admitting he intends to “sell her meat,” as he puts it. Steve, who is a part of a global group of doctors, runs a trafficking ring for human body parts.
Stan does an incredibly compelling job at portraying a lovestruck psychopath, giving off Joe Goldberg vibes from “You.” While Edgar-Jone’s portrayal of the feminine yet sick of men type suits her well compared to the delusion that is Stan’s character.
Something I feel that “Fresh” did well versus other films historically is the “black best friend” trope. In most films, you find that this character is usually loud, somewhat inappropriate, and doesn’t add to the plot. Mollie (Jojo T. Gibbs), however, is crucial to this storytelling and is easily a fan favorite. She risks her own life to save the day and still manages to be the necessary comedic relief for Noa and Steve’s strange and deadly situation.
For the first time in a long time, we see the best friend act and respond like a normal human being as she is the one to uncover Steve’s double life after Noa stops reaching out to her while vacationing.
After some heavy Facebook stalking, Mollie discovers Steve’s real name is Brendan. She then takes her stalking one step further and travels to a suburb where she discovers a wife and two kids. This was a perfect example of following through with the plotline, instead of leaving it out to dry.
Upon initial Google searches of this film, you would find advertisements of thriller and suspense but watching this felt like neither of the two. While it has the standard checklist that horror films tend to have, including hidden bodies of battered women in the basement and chase scenes, the best description I could muster for the genres expressed was body horror.
A clever play on words to the title throughout the film was a smart choice made by production. Allusions of things being “fresh” come up multiple times, the initial time being where Noa and Steve first met in the produce section, where one would typically find fresh fruits and vegetables. There is no secret that the title ultimately suggests the uncovering of Sebastian Stan’s character enjoying what they would call “fresh meat,” but having sneaky interjections of the word in more practical settings was a job well done by the creative team.
If you end up streaming the film on Hulu, be ready for twists and turns in every direction, but remember, it is not as thrilling as they say.