Fresh: Love Spoils so Easily

Some films just click and everything seems to fall into place.  Fresh, now streaming on Hulu, is one of those films.  Touted as a horror comedy, I would say it is a bit light on the comedy, with more emphasis on the “thriller” aspect with a plot twist that truly is “Fresh” and a cut above the rest.

Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a young woman who is searching for her soul mate.  She believes maybe truly deep lasting love does not exist for her.  After another disastrous first date with an uninteresting suitor found on a dating app, she is resolved that maybe she is meant to be alone, which she tries to convince herself is ok.  She has very little family still living and has been alone for a very long time.  While in a grocery store, a seemingly innocent brief encounter with a charming and witty man named Steve (Sebastian Stan) leads to a wonderful first date, Noa begins to believe she has found her match.

The problem is, Steve has no digital presence and Noa’s best friend Mollie (Jonica T. Gibbs) is concerned when the new couple decide to go away for the weekend after only a few dates.  This, of course, is where the thrilling horror story begins. Noa is convinced to spend the night at Steve’s luxury home out in the middle of nowhere, the night before heading out for their romantic weekend, but after the first drink, Noa collapses and awakens chained to a wall in a locked room. Noa can hear other girls locked up as well, and begins a friendship with Jenny (Andrea Bang), an unseen fellow victim. Noa must figure out a way to stay alive, escape and rescue her fellow captives before she is driven insane.

As plots go, this is standard fare for the “romance gone wrong” horror genre, but there are a few things that sets Fresh aside from the rest.  First, the reason for the girl’s captivity.  This really is a great twist which is both intriguing and disgusting at the same time.  Second, the performances.  I often chastise movies where you don’t like anyone in the cast, in this case, you actually like everyone in the cast.  Sebastian Stan is charming and funny and even after he is revealed to be a monster, there is a likability to him, that gives credibility to the plot. There is no surprise that these women fall for him so easily.  Noa is strong and independent, but cute and loveable as well.  Her reactions to her situation feel genuine. And finally, the overall production value.  The directing and editing are of high quality, the script is smart the story intriguing and moves at a good pace, the use of both popular and newly composed music works well, and the setting is both beautiful and stark. The “secret” of the film lies in the title and that’s all I can say.