Director Mimi Cave makes her debut with a dazzling and chilling thriller, Fresh (2022).
The movie stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Noa - the latest victim of online dating, who quite frankly, is exhausted. When we first meet Cave’s protagonist, she is in the middle of another disastrous date. Long story short, the evening ends with the guy calling her a “stuck-up bitch”, and Noa leaves with a familiar eye roll and a renewed cynicism about her love life.
So, after swiping through endless dick pics and an array of less-than-adequate suitors, it’s no surprise that when Noa meets unwittingly charming Steve (Sebastian Stan) she immediately succumbs to his affections. As her best friend, Molly (Jojo T Gibbs) puts it, “he’s every straight girl’s dream come true!”.
Molly is quick to raise the red flags, pointing out that Steve has no social media presence whatsoever – practically a crime in the 2020s, surely? However, despite these suspicions, Noa remains smitten. When the smooth-talking surgeon offers to take Noa on a whimsical trip away, she doesn’t hesitate to venture off with her new beau. However, before their travels can commence, Noa must stay the night at Steve’s place. The expansive, isolated property is inevitably another red flag – the sceptical setting practically screams out at Noa to get while the going is good. But all she does is refer to the house as “intimidating”, proceeding to walk right in.
After a few sips of one of Steve’s infamous cocktails, the true plot of the film is revealed.
For those who are yet to watch Cave’s movie, this article is going to reveal some serious spoilers. It’s practically impossible to discuss the heinous details of this film without mentioning Steve’s appetites – all of which are insatiable and obscene. His admission that “I don’t eat animals” invites the viewer into a darkly comedic world in which female bodies are highly sought-after commodities – prized protein waiting to be engulfed by the next bidder.
At first, the cannibalistic twist seems like a predictable plot turn, reminiscent of gory thrillers, Hostel and The Human Centipede. Known for their depiction of violence and mutilation – these movies are notorious for glorifying what has become known as “torture porn” in the Horror film genre. Attractive scream-queens are chopped up and disfigured, while monstrous male villains assert power over their debauched desires.
However, Mimi Cave, along with writer, Lauryn Kahn, makes a point of separating Fresh from its competitors. The love story that amounts between Noa and Steve happens within the first 30 minutes, before the opening credits – making the second half of the film an unsettling surprise. The rom-com opening is as formulaic as it is convincing. Before the true intentions of the movie are revealed, cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski, teases us with subtle close-ups of meat montages, which are visually aesthetic as they are grotesque for the viewer. However, the relationship that develops between Noa and Steve seems so authentic that the audience is somehow swayed from suspecting anything sinister.
Despite its misogynistic overtones, Cave’s debut succeeds in taking an original spin on typical horror tropes. The scenario in which Noa finds herself is based on the risks and complications of online dating. The realistic parameters on which the movie bases itself make it a believable and quite literally, a meaty watch.
Nowadays, online dating has become synonymous with safety – particularly for women. If you’ve ever been sourcing a hook-up from the likes of Tinder or Hinge, your first point of call is to try and suss them out before your date. Or, failing that, have your friend keep an eye on you so you don’t end up meeting a serial killer.
So, after a series of too-good-to-be-true moments, when Noa wakes up in Steve’s deluxe dungeon, handcuffed to her cell – every girl’s nightmare comes true. Yup, Mr Right has turned out to be anything but.
The chemistry that unfolds between the two leads, even when Noa is playing a seemingly helpless captive, is undeniable. Edgar-Jones adopts a tentative subtlety as she devises an escape plan which will entice her captor enough to allow her to break free. The way in which Noa is forced to make nice with such a monster is another believable plot ploy and a queasy prospect for the audience to grasp. Edgar-Jones captures the fear and resourcefulness that would be needed in such a situation, to administer any chance of survival.
Sebastian Stan, on the other hand, plays Steve with a psychotic wit – akin to that of Christian Bale in American Psycho. Some of the most memorable scenes are those of him in the kitchen. As he slices up dismembered body parts to a backdrop of 80s pop, we can’t help but be enthralled by his obsessive and unnerving personality.
The actual premise of the movie is inevitably hard to stomach. But what makes Cave’s direction even more chilling is the fact that we don’t even see a lot of the gore. Much of the shock factor that surrounds Steve’s activities is alluded to with creepy clips of surgical tools, coupled with indecent noises.
While we don’t actually “see” that much, the true horror of the scenario unfolding seems so real that we can’t help but feel nauseous from start to finish.
The only let-down is possibly the final act, which manifests itself in a messy fight for survival. Key characters are thrashed and slaughtered and there are far too many “why did you do that?!” moments.
Having said that, for those who like their dates to have a bit of bite, then Fresh is a perfect match.
Fresh - Hulu and Disney+
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