Fresh review: Hulu's thriller takes dating and dinners to a disturbing level 

Hulu has finally released its highly-anticipated thriller, Fresh, to shed light on the horrors of dating in today's world, or perhaps in general.

Directed by Mimi Cave, the film revolves around modern romance and the horrors that come with it- in this case, cannibalism. The film stars Daisy-Edgar Jones and Sebastian Stan, who have, yet again, given brilliant performances as a victim and sociopath.

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Review of 'Fresh'

Hulu's latest horror satire, Fresh, takes a bleak view of the world of online dating, skewering the s**ual and emotional entitlement of straight men. The movie takes the idea of s** and dating as a literal "meat market."

Noa, portrayed by Daisy Edgar-Jones, is a twentysomething girl who's about to give up on dating entirely, until she meets doctor Steven in the produce aisle on a late-night grocery run. Steve is a handsome flirt who instantly bags Noa's number.

At first, she feels as if she has finally met a man who listens and doesn't mind paying for dinner, ignoring all the warnings her best friend Mollie gave along the way. A weekend getaway with Steve turns into a nightmare when she finds herself chained to the wall in Steve’s tastefully decorated midcentury modern home.

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A frightening consistency

Fresh waits a whole of 33 minutes to roll its opening credits, just when the movie starts to steer in a completely different direction. The cliche rom-com elements between Steve and Noa's courtship take on an ironic new resonance, rendered in context like a pop song in the trailer for a horror film. Even till the very end of the film, Sebastian Stan's performance remains frighteningly consistent, who goes from being a charmer to a sociopath.

As Noa tries to figure out her escape from the house, Fresh widens its scope to explore different angles on its core theme, a.k.a. cannibalism. Initially seen as a fun best friend, Mollie rises to co-lead the film as she follows her gut and starts searching for Noa.

Her journey to the dark heart of the suburbs to find the truth adds an immediacy to the film. Once the full scope of Steve's depravity is revealed, Fresh offers up its most disturbing commentary yet, mediating on how patriarchal relationship dynamics chew women up and spit them back out, literally.

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Horrific at its best

The comedy in Fresh is more of a hit or miss. Some of the jokes have a dry, sarcastic quality that eventually evolves along with the film, but others spoil the mood by tipping too far into silliness.

Sebastian Stan's performance has already conveyed everything viewers need to know about the character's lack of emotion and remorse, which is why the jarring tonal shift feels unnecessary.

The dynamic in Fresh is horrific at its best. Cave juxtaposes scenes like Noa and Steve's dinner against moments of banal consumption. Other characters with normal, non-cannibal meals are shot with unsettling closeness and deadening sound, emphasizing the rip and tear consumption, the way life is masticated into nothing but selfish fuel for another life.

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Squirming and disgusting

However, when director Cave applies her decadent instincts towards squirming disgust, the results are more effective. Closeups of mouths throughout the film escalate from sensual to repellant. Cave makes sure to use soft focus and handheld camerawork in moments when Noa's head is spinning, whether from lust or her drugged up cocktail.

All-in-all, Steve remains an uncomplicated villain and Noa a largely incomplicated victim, despite artful moments. Moments that give the impression that the film may become uncomfortable give way to the thriller beats where Noa attempts to escape. By the end, the only thing the movie makes clear is that dating is hell.

Fresh is now streaming on Hulu.