Fresh (2022) (Review)

Fresh (2022): A film about modern dating. This is one of those films that are made in several stages. If you haven’t read the summary, as I did, you don’t really know what to expect. 

It begins as a romance. Then, in the second part, the color is announced. And that’s when you realize that, given the subject matter, it’s going to be an ultra-violent film. And in the end, there’s a kind of justice, but it becomes so over-exaggerated that it becomes comical. But all this is a good thing. Indeed, the film is not as unbearable as it lets on. And the humor keeps the film from becoming too heavy-handed and unhealthy. Obviously, this is not a film for all audiences, nor for the faint of heart. 

Daisy Jessica Edgar-Jones is the lead actress. She’s known and nominated for the two mini-series she starred in. I haven’t seen either of them. I’ve only seen her in a film that’s half very boring and half very interesting called “Where the Crayfish Sing”. Very good actress, indeed. Very credible. 

As for Sebastian Stan, there’s so much to say about him, he’s so interesting. Superhero fans know him very well, since he first appeared in the first “Captain America” movie as Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. Since then, he’s been everywhere! He’s been in the “Avengers”, “Ant-Man”, “Black Panther” and more. This prolific actor also starred in Ricki and the Flash, a film in which Meryl Streep plays a rocker! He starred alongside Margot Robbie (who also produced the film) in “I, Tonya”. He starred alongside Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, and Mila Kunis in “Black Swan”. He was with Ashley Greene in “The Apparition”, in “Destroyer” with Nicole Kidman, in “The 355 “with the 5 actresses Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Fan Bingbing, Diane Kruger and Lupita Nyong’o. In a nutshell!  And yet, Sebastian remains discreet.We see him everywhere, but he remains there, like a shadow. Not everyone sees him, but he sees everything. And that’s exactly what his character in this film represents.A Romanian-American actor, born in Romania, with incredible charisma.The quintessential dark, handsome guy! 

I really enjoyed this film. It’s gripping from the start.It intrigues, disgusts, hypnotizes.There are moments that descend into the ridiculous, that prevent the film from being perfect, but it lands on its feet quite nicely. 

The opening credits come right in the middle of the film. And that’s really funny and rather original the way it’s done. It’s in the form of a gag, but it’s very dark, because it’s as soon as the dice are rolled that the credits appear, as soon as we understand what direction we’re going in.  It’s certainly relatively violent entertainment, but it’s still subtle.