Fresh, starring Sebastian Stan, is Mimi Cave’s feature film debut. In it, she transports you to the world of online dating, where anonymous identities are concealed behind corny one-liners and eye-catching images. Uncertainty and going on a first date with only a vague notion of the made-up physical characteristics of the person you have seen on the internet portal provide an element of surprise. However, it’s unclear whether or not that element of surprise would be welcome.
Even people whose ideas viewed online dating as a frivolous activity have undergone a paradigm shift for a cause. It is convenient, and with just a swipe, you can expand your social network or indulge romantically with someone. Imagine then that you go on a date with someone you matched with on a dating website, and it ends in disaster. A man who performs it the conventional way then appears at the perfect time. Since he is right in front of your eyes, there is no deception because people tend to believe what they can see. They overlook the fact that your eyes are the biggest liar. We frequently see what we want to instead of what should be.
Fresh Plot Summary: What The Film Is About?
The first scene of Fresh is Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) going out on a date with Chad. Chad’s uneducated and racialized actions expose the waitress to racism. Even more audaciously, he remarks that women in their parents’ generation tended to be more feminine in their demeanour, subtly suggesting that Noa should follow suit and dress in that manner. However, it appeared that he was exempt from the chivalry of his parents’ generation, or perhaps he had more freedom to make his own decisions than his female colleagues, whom he believed occasionally required direction. His irrational masculine ego and claim that he deserves everything he desires because of his great character are shattered into pieces. In a split second, he goes from being in a position of authority to one that is really precarious, and the change is oddly amusing.
Mollie, Noa’s best friend, is her strongest supporter and a trusted confidante. When examining the finer points of an issue, a person who is not involved frequently has sharper intuition than someone who is. Noa is seduced by Steve’s smooth and unpretentious charisma, which she does not find seductive despite the numerous warning signs. Mollie is not convinced. She reasoned that it was unlikely to find a man in this day and age who had no social media presence.
The conversation between Noa and Steve is swift. When Steve stops making love to her in the middle and warns that they could be moving too quickly, Noa’s trust is strengthened. Noa did not anticipate that her male counterpart would use the line or the idea behind it. She now had proof that Steve wasn’t just playing around. Instead of their weekend escape to Cottage Grove as planned, Steve takes her to his house. He offered an explanation that the traffic was too heavy and suggested they depart early in the morning when it was less congested. He prepares her drink according to her preferences.
Fresh temporarily performs in line with your premeditation. Noa lost consciousness when her drink was drugged. She discovers she is shackled when she awakens. She enquired as to Steve’s plans to rape her. Your premeditation is then again thrown into modification at that precise instant.
Warning: Major Spoilers
Who Were Steve s Clients?
In Fresh, Steve tells Noa that he would like to trade her meat. It would have been simpler for her to accept that he would be abusing her. She is unable to comprehend what is taking place. Even while chained, she speculates that Steve might be playing a cruel joke because the idea of cannibalism is so absurd. He is not, though.
Penny, a female who was also in the facility, told Noa that Steve had been engaging in this behaviour for a while. Penny informs Noa that Melissa, another girl who was a resident of the facility, was on the verge of becoming insane.
Noa is still optimistic that if she is taken out of the cell, she might be able to flee. But that turned out to be her biggest error. In addition to effortlessly pinning her down, Steve also chops off meat from her behind.
After reviewing her conversations with Noa, Mollie develops scepticism. She had a strong sense that something was very wrong. She discovered that the waterfall image Noa had provided her was a stock photo. By looking up a photo that Noa had earlier shared to her on Google, Mollie attempts to learn more about Steve. Noah had informed her just before she vanished that she had unintentionally run into Paul, who Mollie had once dated. In the cafe where Noah and Steve had gone on a date, Paul was serving drinks. In an effort to uncover some information, Mollie visits Paul. She learns his address and makes the decision to go right there. She also decides to send Paul her whereabouts in case anything bad happens.
When Mollie arrives to Steve’s house, she is greeted by his wife Ann, who believes that there has clearly been some miscommunication. Just then, Steve shows up and informs Mollie that he is unaware of any Noa-named girls. When Mollie calls Noa just before leaving, Steve’s pocket hears the call. Steve struck her from behind before she had a chance to react. We learn that Ann, who had somehow stopped being one and was now residing with Steve as his wife, was also a victim of Steve.
Noa is informed by Steve that his clientele are in the top one percent. These were the people who had unlimited financial resources and hence want something exclusive for themselves. The clients served as a metaphor for the underlying ideals of a capitalist system. They were a part of this clan that had the opportunity of enjoying human meat in order to establish their uniqueness. They may have felt empowered and gained a way to assert their dominance as a result. In my perspective, it was more about the constant urge to feel superior than it was about the flavour or becoming hooked to it.
Fresh Ending Explained: Did Noa Survive?
Also hauled to Steve’s prison is Mollie. Noa realises that acting impulsively or yelling for assistance was useless. She learns through Penny that Steve has never had sex with her. She gets the impression he might be attracted to her from this. She is reading a magazine Steve had given her when she comes upon an article written by a former victim. If you are reading this, he likes you, the message declared.
Noa begins to participate. She queries him over the flavour of human meat. She displays her curiosity while concealing her fear. She takes advantage of Steve’s liking for her. He lends her a dress to wear, and they regularly eat together. Things quickly get out of hand during one of these house dates, and Noa is arrested for assault.
She bites him, much to Steve’s horror, and uses the chance to release Penny and Mollie from their bonds. Noa shoots Steve in the face after the three girls struggle valiantly to defeat Steve. They believe that the nightmare has finally ended when Steve passes away. Ann, who has just arrived at the scene, nearly strangles Noa to death. Once more, Mollie steps in to save her and uses a spade to smash her face.
Thankfully, Noa, Mollie, and Penny are finally able to flee from what seemed to be nothing less than a nightmare after Steve and Ann’s deaths. Although the horrors had a lasting psychological effect on them, they may be better able to discern others and their motivations going forward as a result of the experience.
Fresh is a 2022 horror thriller film that Mimi Cave is directing for the first time.
