Review of Fresh (2022) by Rmurray847 — 10 Aug 2023

FRESH is one of those movies where you're not sure if you're meant to laugh or cringe. To scream or roll your eyes. The sympathize with a character or not. And that is exactly what makes it work so well.

FRESH begins as a bit of parody of the current dating scene (as a 59-year-old married for 37 years, I can't relate, but I can be horrified and amused). We meet Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) on her first date with super obnoxious Chad. They're at a restaurant, and in the space of just a minute or so, he insults Noa's choice of clothing and just her life choices in general. When they agree that the date is going nowhere and are ready to walk out, he asks her to pay for her food but then he wants her leftovers to take home. We sense that for Noa, this is just one in a series of disappointing dates, and when she chats with her best friend Mollie (Jojo T. Gibbs) about it, we're pretty much assured that Noa's dating life has hit a wall. But she has a "meet cute" in the grocery store with the goofy, but somehow still charming Steven (Sebastian Stan) and they have immediate tentative chemistry (yes, I know that's a weird phrase, but to me, it explains so well how Noa can feel sparks flying, but also can't make herself believe that was really happening). This leads to a date, and then another and then an invite to have a romantic weekend getaway and then everything goes insanely off the rails.

Because you know going in that this is NOT a romantic comedy, you're ready for something to happen. But unless you've read more than you should about the film, you are NOT ready for what does happen. (And please, I'm trying hard not to spoil anything...do yourself a favor and read as little about the plot as you can.).

Noa finds herself in a situation she could never have imagined, and Steve is not remotely the person we might have hoped. And yet, the sparks are still there. And Noa uses them to her advantage. And Steve, smart as he turns out to be, is still a sucker for a girl who will flatter him.

The less said, the better. But I can tell you this. The tone of this movie could so easily have gone off the rails, but writer Lauryn Kahn and particularly director Mimi Cave walk the tightrope expertly. They embrace the uncomfortableness of the situation (again, no spoilers here) pretty head on, and you'll find yourself squirming at times. But it evolves into dark humor. (In fact, if I had to pigeon-hole the film, I'd call it a DEEPLY black dark satire.).

And layer on top of that two excellent performances. Edgar-Jones (whom I didn't love in Normal People because I haven't seen it), is very well cast. She's a tiny, even "delicate" actor who never loses that sense of smallness. She doesn't become Sarah Connor in The Terminator...she stays Noa throughout, even as she finds strength. Sebastian Stan is NOT an actor I normally care for very much, but his very blandness is put to good use here, and the more "out there" his character becomes, the more I enjoyed his embrace of the weirdness...but without ever losing the essential blandness. I know that doesn't sound appealing, but it all works so well because these actors are also poking at the type of character their playing, so there's a sense of fun behind all of it.

The two are extremely ably supported by Gibbs in the usually thankless "best friend" role, who turns out to be ever so much more.

It's not a movie for the squeamish. Some icky things happen in a very casual way that doesn't try to hide what's happening. But it something to say about modern relationships, materialism and social media.