Mimi Cave shows us her slick directing style while delivering a carnivorous bite on modern dating with a Hannibal Lecter-approved horror twang, a captivating performance by Daisy Edgar-Jones, and a banging jukebox soundtrack. Unfortunately, when it comes to exploring its themes and structure, “Fresh” is messy and overlong, hurting its allegory along the way. Still and all, the film entertains by its bloody demeanor.
After multiple frustrating dates and the anger that causes her to scroll on the dating apps in hopes of finding someone normal, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) takes a chance on Steve (Sebastian Stan) after a produce-section meet-cute. The first impression we get of Steve is that he is awkward yet charming; however, audiences know it is a masquerade. Just by seeing his “American Psycho”-esque smile shows us something sinister is coming, and Cave isn’t afraid to let us know this early on. In no way, shape, or form is Noa prepared for what’s to come. I knew where it was headed with its sins-of-the-flesh scenario as it was pretty obvious; Steve says that he is a doctor, more so a man who repairs bodies, and doesn’t eat animals. By the first few minutes, you already know that he is a man with the same tastes as Hannibal Lecter.
Cave Has a Slick Style and Creative Array of Techniques that Make ‘Fresh’ Work
You feel Cave’s music-video background not only in the film’s jukebox soundtrack (consisting of Blood Orange, Danny Brown, La Femme, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and “The Golden Girls” intro) but in her directing style, in the best way possible. Many directors come from that background and switch onto film and do terrible work; but Cave has a slick style and creative array of filming techniques, which impressed me for the most part. The production design, set decoration, and art direction fit “Fresh’s” model. There’s also some dance sequences which are charming yet haunting due to the nature of Noa and Steve’s relationship. It also helps that they have great chemistry on-screen, although the two performances differ. While Edgar-Jones is entrancing as always, Stan seems to deliver three different interpretations of his character, one in each act.
I also have mixed feelings about the movie’s horror elements; you can see there’s a “bit of this, a bit of that” situation, with little original touch in its approach. There’s the entrapment of “Gerald’s Game,” the dual manipulation of “Piercing,” the thematics of “Revenge,” the taboo parameters of “We Are What We Are,” just to name a few.
‘Fresh’ is Entertaining and Contains Interesting Stylistic Choices
When dealing with body horror, you already know there will be some Cronenbergian quips attached to it; props to Cave’s focus and not shying away from the bodies, especially in the dinner scenes and food-prep sequences. It found its perfect fit at the ‘Midnight’ section of the Sundance Film Festival, with its provocation, “gore,” and violence. Yet, you’d expect the voice of the auteur to shower her work with some form of originality (like last year’s Midnight picks “CENSOR” and “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair”). By no means is “Fresh” a lousy picture; on the contrary, it is entertaining and contains several ideas and stylistic choices that I found captivating and fun.
The main gist is the structure and the themes the film covers. Its thematics are frail and sharp as a butter knife (note that Adam McKay is a producer), while its structure is messy and predictable from the get-go. A film that covers such a taboo subject matter needs more meat in its bones for the finale to be more impactful and intriguing. The Lauryn Kahn-penned quirky cold-as-ice witty horror script doesn’t blend well since the allegory is too in-your-face instead of restrained. It could have taken a chaotic-horror approach as Aronofsky did with “Mother!” and embrace its messiness, but it would have needed to go on another 100-mile far route.
Looking Toward Cave’s Next Project
I personally think this type of horror film should have been done delicately; the best of the horror subgenre are often done in that manner. “Fresh” wants to be many things, especially a version of “Eating Raoul” that covers modern dating and women’s fears in today’s age. Not everything works, but it does make me anticipate what Mimi Cave has to offer next time around.
This review was written from day 2 of Sundance Film Festival’s 2022 programming.
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