Fresh- Movie Review

Listen to my advice, finding a certain someone special in your life is hard. I’m almost thirty and have yet to find a steady life partner. I have done almost everything I’ve been told to find that special life partner. I’ve attended singles night events from my rich snobby friends in the DHA area. I’ve been set up on blind dates by those same friends who say “She has a good heart” but nothing comes to fruition. Finding your life partner with the old-school ways is exhausting.

This is the rationale behind the rise in popularity of mobile dating apps. No matter where you are, there is an app to satisfy your need for company.

If you’re looking for something casual, you have short-term relationship experience apps like Tinder. Or, if you want to go to the opposite side, you have the mainstream apps like shaadi.com. And then, you have generic middle-level apps like Muzmatch and Bumble.

The protagonist of the new film “Fresh”, also tried out a dating app. Noa (Daisy-Edgar Jones), a single woman is desperately looking for love in all the wrong places. So much so, that her last tinder date goes wrong, apparently the last straw, after several bad dates meeting with incompatible men. She seemingly has given up on dating, when a chance encounter with Steve (Sebastian Stan), a prince charming man of mystery changes her mind.

After a successful first date, Noa agrees to go on a romantic getaway weekend with Steve, with only her friend, Mollie (Jonica T. Gibbs), knowing a few details. But this seemingly feel-good love story will take a strange turn that Noa will never forget.

Fresh is an apt name for this film. It has a deeper meaning as the film progresses. But this nightmarish movie is fresh. Several directors would have opted to take the easy way out, following the stale formula which we have seen over and over again but director Mimi Cave, in her directorial debut, did an astounding job in mixing intimacy with violence.

Honestly, I thought I was watching a typical rom-com movie for the entire first act of the movie. The events leading up to the trip will make you believe you’re watching another feel-good movie with a good cast. But the turn is quick and dark. It physically feels like you’ve been shot. And that sudden, startling change effectively grabs the audience’s attention.

Sebastian Stan does a wonderful job as Steve. His performance reminded me of Christian Bale’s performance in American Psycho, as Patrick Bateman. But the same cannot be said of Steve where Patrick has no redeemable factors.

While having dark desires and tastes, Steve also shows a sensitive side. He shows that he has feelings for Noa and is horrible for what he’s doing to her. Yes, that improvement factor is a small one.

As research on the darker side of modern dating, and the risks we take whenever we decide to swipe right or strike up a conversation with someone we just met. It’s probably not a movie to watch on your first date, especially if you are clueless about her film genre preferences. But if you’re home alone or with your partner, and looking for a movie that will give you both chills and thrills, this might satisfy your taste (no pun intended).

Fresh is a romantic horror drama we need. I give it a perfect five-star rating. In her debut full-length film, Mimi Cave does a fantastic job utilising fresh creative concepts and offering a fresh take on classic Hollywood clichés.