Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Searchlight Films releases the film on Hulu on Friday, March 4.
The frustrations of online dating are satirically tackled in Mimi Cave’s “Fresh”. This is the kind of film where the less you know, the better. What you should know about the plot is that it concerns a twenty-something millennial named Noa who bounces from one terrible date to another, only to find perfection in Steve (Sebastien Stan) and wonder, what’s the catch? Steve is a little too good to be true — he can cook, has loads of money, and is incredibly handsome. “Is he married”? a friend snidely asks Noa. Of course, to reveal more would do a disservice to the deliciously twisted surprises “Fresh” springs out at its audience. Too bad then that Cave doesn’t push for more risk-taking, instead relying on formula and over-direction to finish off her story. This is a genre picture through and through, think a glossier version of Miike’s “Audition,” and despite its lack of subtleties or even the absence of character substance, not to mention a wildly over-the-top climax, it’s a wild ride. [B/B+]