Fresh is a movie that doesn't let you in on its secret for almost a quarter of the movie. A young woman named Noa is navigating the world of modern dating. She's on all the apps, she meets guys who are real assholes, some of them send her dick pics, it's not looking good. She met Steve at the store. Steve is smart, funny, and kind, and after a few dates he invites her to go on a trip. There are some red flags, but how bad could he be? Fresh gets really, really, really fucked up.
The director tries to put the audience in Noa's shoes by delaying the truth of Fresh. She wants us to trust him. We want to trust him. We are all team Noa. It is a proof that storybook romance is still possible in this messed up world if Noa and Steve work out. The film's shocking reveal is more impactful when it comes. It's a big shift and if you're not prepared, it might be too much for you.
If you had three chances, I won't spoil it. Fresh is not a romance. It is a full on horror film and a gory one. It's similar to Eli Roth's Hostel in many ways, though there are elements of Get Out, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs throughout. The script by Lauryn Kahn uses all of those things to their advantage. Some of it pays off as you would expect, many things do not, but all of it adds up to scare us into believing that this shocking story of a woman's worst dating nightmare could be true. Fresh is a film that is always pushing for maximum reaction, and it never compromises, even at times when it can be a little over the top.
Much of that can be attributed to the performances by Stan and Edgar-Jones. We all know about Stan. He is Bucky Barnes. The Winter Soldier is a movie. In Fresh, he shows a psychopathic glee that is both disarming and delightfully disgusting. Noa is made into the girl anyone would love to be friends with by a relative newcomer. Steve is falling for a lot of things, which may be her way out of a very horrible situation. The electric chemistry between the two of them adds tension and intrigue to every encounter.
Fresh is horror done right, thanks to those two strong performances and a tight script. It has a message, it executes it with precision, and it will freak you out.
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