Shocking, full of plot twists, and deeper meanings, Fresh (2022), starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (Noa) and the Winter Soldier himself, Sebastian Stan (Steve), has a unique story line that I have not seen before. This film is so original and I think that is what makes me love it so much, even when some parts are hard to watch. (I have to admit that I did have to pause sometimes and fast forward a second or two.) When you watch this film, you might realize how weird it might be to say that I love this movie, but I do. I truly do.
First, the soundtrack is impeccable. It does a beautiful job of setting the tone. If you pay close attention, you can see that although the characters may seem comfortable in the beginning, the close up shots of food and the directing err in the direction of something being off. Soon, it is clear that something very much so is off. Incredibly off.
I love the ending of this film and the moments of girl power throughout. Without ruining the ending, because it is one to remember (hint: epic fight scene), it shows how powerful friendship is. I also enjoyed how the movie touched on the various kinds of female relationships and confrontation methods: the telepathic girl, the jealous girl, and the mean girl.
Mimi Cave is a fabulous director and this film made me want to venture out and see more of her work. I wonder whose idea it was for the very specific soundtrack of the film: was it written into the script or was it a directing choice? I also cannot forget to talk about Lauryn Kahn, who is the writer behind the script. While this could have easily been just another bad guy, good girl, typical horror-violence movie, this film is so much more. It makes statements that are long overdue and maybe will give men a glimpse at the worries that regularly go through a woman’s mind.
After watching this movie, I am going to watch Edgar-Jones in Normal People because she was so convincing in this movie! Her character has nuance and did not feel flat. I believed her from the start! I felt like I knew Noa, which makes the plot even more scary. Also, I cannot not mention how Stan’s character’s name is Steve. What a coincidence, or was it? I hope it was because that could make the story even more scary.
9/10
P.S. I also want to mention the incredible actor, Jojo T. Gibbs (Mollie) who played Noa’s friend in the movie. What a legend!
*Disclaimer: Making a movie is hard. Sometimes you have an idea and it is not interpreted how you intended it to be. All directors, producers, writers, and everyone on set should be proud at what they created and I do not want to diminish that. I just want to share my opinions so we can learn from movies and see what works and what didn’t.
Aloha Arianna 