“Fresh,” a twisted thriller featuring Sebastian Stan and “Normal People” star Daisy Edgar-Jones, puts a spin on your everyday meet-cute.
After a bleak go at attempting to find eligible bachelors on dating apps, Noa (Edgar-Jones) can’t believe her luck when she runs into a cute guy, Steve (Stan), at the grocery store. In the film’s first trailer, which dropped on Tuesday, they successfully banter about cotton candy grapes, exchange numbers and agree to go out.
The date goes well. So well, in fact, that Noa accepts Steve’s invitation to venture on a romantic weekend getaway despite barely knowing anything about him. The man doesn’t even have an Instagram, for crying out loud, so casual internet stalking is off the table.
“See, that’s shady…” Jonica T. Gibbs, who plays Noa’s best friend, says, knowingly.
While away in a remote cabin, Noa soon learns her new partner has some unusual dietary habits — to say the least. His musings on romance seem to be equally questionable.
“It’s about giving… giving yourself over to somebody… becoming one forever,” Steve tells Noa. “That’s love.”
It’s not for everyone 🥩
Mimi Cave’s @FreshMovie starring @DaisyEdgarJones and Sebastian Stan. Streaming March 4 only on @hulu. pic.twitter.com/Mk0tyGfwsL
— Searchlight Pictures (@searchlightpics) February 15, 2022
“Fresh” premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. Variety’s chief critic Peter Debruge called the movie “sick but satisfying.”
“‘Fresh’ comes across as a carefree bit of bloody fun,” he wrote. “But there’s considerably more going on beneath the surface. […] The gender critique is just as juicy, even if the plot is a lot harder to swallow.”
Director Mimi Cave says she wanted to make a movie about modern dating that doesn’t play like a stereotypical romantic comedy.
“There’s a lot of tropes in this film that are there for a reason — and hopefully we’re challenging them,” she said at Variety’s virtual Sundance Studio. “We’re twisting them in a different way.”
“Fresh” debuts March 4 on Hulu. Watch the trailer below: