Editor’s Note: This review contains spoilers for the Hulu film, “Fresh.”
Hulu’s “Fresh” is an innovative and flavorful masterpiece that surveys the horrors of dating with a shocking and appetizing twist. Released on March 4, this thriller film is cutting-edge, combining modern-day grotesqueness with an unexpected trepidation: cannibalism. Viewers will be shocked at how well the narrative arc is constructed throughout the jarring and comedic storyline with video stills highlighting the indie nature of the film.
What begins as your average rom-com turns violent and sickening when Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) meets Brendan, or “Steve,” (Sebastian Stan) while browsing in the produce section of the local supermarket. After many attempts of harmless flirting executed by Steve, and fed up with entertaining agonizing, self-righteous and pretentious douchebag-type men on dating apps, Noa willingly gives him her number — expressing shortly after to her best friend Mollie (Jonica T. Gibbs) how shocked and confused she was that she had actually met a decent, attractive and successful guy in real life, not over some mediocre dating site. From this point on, the film keeps viewers hooked, determined to uncover the truth behind the mysterious character of Steve and why Mollie has doubts about his intentions.
Directed by Mimi Cave, “Fresh” indulges viewers in a beautifully sadistic narrative that fuses horror with dark comedy while simultaneously creating a memorable cinematic experience with artsy and retro cinematography. Through the twists and turns after the stomach-churning secret is introduced, the filmmakers accentuate the situation by utilizing murky and muted tones with passé music to create scenes that seem as if they were taken sometime during the 1970s. It brings nostalgia into existence, creating an out-of-body experience that makes you fall in love with the “love” story of Noa and Steve, while appreciating how well Stan and Edgar-Jones become immersed into the story with their characters’ portrayals.
What makes this film so spectacular is how the narrative is so fleshed out, including the many layers that mold each character. Stan’s portrayal of Steve’s rather sweet and spontaneous nature to his big reveal — from loving plastic surgeon, husband and father by day to wicked human meat collector/cannibalistic connoisseur by night — unravels so many layers and is quite jaw-dropping, making it incredibly hard for you to just love or hate him. In fact, you end up doing both: rooting for a serial murderer, but also wishing someone would come and give him a taste of his own medicine and cook him up into a nice dish of spaghetti and meatballs. The very savage and inhuman element of cannibalism mixed in with the eccentric, strong-willed and humorous personalities is what keeps viewers fascinated with the characters of Noa and Steve. In moments of darkness, when the pair is feasting on a female human breast, Noa uses her humor to her advantage, cracking jokes — including the laugh-out-loud joke of “you saved the ‘breast’ till last” — to trick Steve into believing she enjoys the taste of human meat just as much as he does. And yet, what might shock viewers most is how she uses her femininity and the bond she formed with Steve to turn on him when he least expects it: when he is at his most vulnerable, bare and in love, Noa bites his penis off and frees the other women who were captured and trapped in his house, Mollie and Penny (Andrea Bang).
The beauty of “Fresh” is that it serves as an ode to women, including strong female leads who act on their suspicions and use their womanhood to their benefit. Veering away from the typical horror genre where characters run away thinking they’ve killed the villain, the characters in “Fresh” make sure to finish Steve off, ensuring that he is indeed unable to continue his murderous, cannibalistic pleasures. Noa, Mollie and Penny are all strong-willed and incredibly smart, clearly knowledgeable in how to work their way out of a difficult situation. This aspect of the film is entirely relatable to those movie buffs who find themselves screaming at the screen when the victim runs away from their captor without double-checking that they are indeed dead.
“Fresh” is unexpected, straight to the point, raw and dashingly unique. Unlike anything in its genre, Stan and Edgar-Jones present something creative and worth indulging in. Filmmakers were entirely accurate in naming it “Fresh,” as it is exactly that: fresh and entirely unconventional. With a fascinating plot and an awfully dark comedic twist, viewers can tune into Hulu and become invested in the cannibalistic activity that takes place before them.
McKenzie Boney is an Entertainment Editor. She can be reached at mboney@uci.edu.
