Fresh (2022)

Directed by Mimi Cave. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jonica T. Gibbs, Dayo Okeniyi, Charlotte Le Bon, Brett Dier, Andrea Bang. [R]

Noa (Edgar-Jones) is weary of the modern dating scene, but then she meets a friendly, good-looking man (Stan) at the grocery store who flirts with her and she takes a chance. First impressions can be deceiving, however, and by the time she learns he has an ulterior motive for pursuing her, it’s too late to politely excuse herself from future dates with the guy. Pointed if unoriginal observations in the first act suggest a socially-incisive thriller in the vein of Promising Young Woman or Get Out, but even while revealing some unsavory details about how Noa can satiate a few abhorrent appetites, the middle act becomes predictable—the coldly elegant interior design of Stan’s home, the concerned best friend who does a little too much snooping, etc.—before it becomes hard to buy, as in the way the villain could be so easily duped. Although similarly offering very few surprises, at least the series of climaxes at the end deliver the gruesome goods (um, that’s not egg on your face…). Aided by satisfying performances and warped tongue-in-cheek humor—along with a few other cuts of meat inside that same mouth—it’s too messy to qualify as a sure-handed success, but those with adventurous tastes should enjoy it all the same. Cave’s feature directorial debut.

63/100