''Fresh'' is a 2022 American

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by Mimi Cave, in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Lauryn Kahn. The film stars

Daisy Edgar-Jones Daisy Jessica Edgar-Jones (born 24 May 1998) is an English actress. She began her career with the television series ''Cold Feet'' (2016–2020) and '' War of the Worlds'' (2019–2021). She gained recognition for her starring role in the BBC / ...

and

Sebastian Stan Sebastian Stan (born August 13, 1982) is a Romania-born American actor. Known for his work in both blockbuster and independent films, his accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Silver Bear, in addition to nominations for an Academy A ...

. It is a co-production between

Legendary Pictures Legendary Entertainment, LLC (also known as Legendary Pictures or simply Legendary) is an American mass media and film production company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull. The company has often collaborated with the major stu ...

and Hyperobject Industries;

Adam McKay Adam McKay (born April 17, 1968) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. McKay began his career as a head writer for the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') from 1995 to 2001. After leaving ''SNL'', McKay co-w ...

produced the film alongside Kevin J. Messick. ''Fresh'' had its world premiere at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

on January 20, 2022, and was released on March 4, 2022, via

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...

in the United States and

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via

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internationally, marking the first Legendary film released by

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

rather than

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Noa (

), a woman from

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, is increasingly disillusioned with

online dating Online dating, also known as internet dating, virtual dating, or mobile app dating, is a method used by people with a goal of searching for and interacting with potential romantic or sexual partners, via the internet. An online dating service ...

and the rude men she encounters. A man calling himself Steve (

) flirts with her at a supermarket and they exchange numbers. On their first date, the two form a bond. After several dates, Steve invites Noa for a weekend getaway to a surprise destination. Against the advice of her best friend Mollie, Noa agrees. Planning to travel early the following day, Noa spends the evening at Steve's luxury home, but he drugs her cocktail and she collapses. Noa awakens in captivity, chained to the floor. Steve explains that he is a butcher of human meat, which he both consumes and sells to wealthy gastronomic cannibals for whom he regularly lures and abducts young women. He informs Noa that he will keep her alive as long as possible in order to keep her meat fresh as he intends to surgically remove pieces of her body over time. Noa speaks to a woman named Penny who is being held captive in an adjacent cell, who says that she has suffered multiple meat harvests and that another woman, Melissa, has gone insane. Noa attempts to escape when given an opportunity to shower and Steve harvests meat from her buttocks as punishment. Meanwhile, Mollie becomes concerned about Noa's disappearance and begins investigating with her friend Paul, a bartender who served Noa and Steve on their first date. After searching online, Mollie discovers Steve is actually named Brendan and is married to a woman named Ann with whom he has children. Mollie visits Ann and informs her of Brendan's apparent affair. Brendan arrives and denies any knowledge of Noa when questioned by Mollie. As she leaves, Mollie calls Noa's phone, which begins ringing in Brendan's pocket. Ann, realizing she's been exposed, knocks Mollie unconscious. In a shower scene, Ann is shown to have a

prosthetic leg In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...

. Noa learns from Penny that she is the only prisoner who had sex with Brendan. She makes herself more alluring and pretends to be curious about the taste of human meat. Brendan invites her to share a gourmet dish of human meat with him, which Noa pretends to enjoy but secretly vomits up. Meanwhile, Brendan takes Mollie away for harvesting. Brendan invites Noa to a formal dinner, providing her a pink dress to wear. Between dishes, Brendan shows Noa a concealed case containing the belongings of two dozen victims; amongst the trophies, Noa recognizes Mollie's phone. Following dinner and dancing, Noa persuades Brendan to have sex with her and let her perform

fellatio Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act consisting of the stimulation of a human penis, penis by using the mouth. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may also be termed ''fellat ...

on him; she injures him by biting his penis. Noa helps Mollie and Penny escape their cells while Brendan attends to his injury. After using the

dumbwaiter A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restauran ...

to carry multiple-amputee Penny out of the basement, the three fight Brendan in the kitchen, then escape into the woods. Brendan pursues them with a handgun. In the meantime, Paul becomes concerned when Mollie doesn't respond to messages and follows the location of her phone to Brendan's house. However, he questions what he is doing and drives away upon hearing gunshots. In the woods, Noa, Mollie, and Penny attack Brendan again. Noa takes the gun and shoots him dead. Ann arrives, finds Brendan's body, and orders a companion to put it in the walk-in freezer. Ann encounters Noa in the woods and tries to strangle her, but Noa stabs Ann in the neck with car keys. As Ann recovers and attempts to strangle Noa again, Mollie bludgeons Ann to death with a shovel. Noa and Mollie relax at last, and Noa receives a

booty call ''Booty Call'' is a 1997 American buddy comedy film directed by Jeff Pollack, and written by J. Stanford Parker (credited as Bootsie) and Takashi Bufford. The film stars Tommy Davidson, Jamie Foxx, Vivica A. Fox, and Tamala Jones. Plot Rusho ...

text from a toxic man she dated before Brendan. A mid-credits scene depicts five of Brendan's clients in a white room, seated at a table with bleeding human meat at the center.

Cast

as Noa *

as Steve/Brendan * Jonica T. Gibbs as Mollie *

Charlotte Le Bon Charlotte Le Bon (born 4 September 1986) is a Canadian actress and director based in Paris. She is known for her work in the Canal+ talk show '' Le Grand Journal'', and the films '' Yves Saint Laurent'', '' The Hundred-Foot Journey'', and '' T ...

as Ann *

Andrea Bang Andrea Bang (born 2 May 1989) is a Canadian actress and screenwriter from Burnaby, British Columbia. She is best known for playing Janet Kim in the CBC comedy '' Kim's Convenience'', for which she was nominated three times at the Canadian Scree ...

as Penny *

Dayo Okeniyi Oladayo A. Okeniyi (; born June 14, 1988) is a Nigerian-American actor, popularly known for playing the role of Thresh in ''The Hunger Games'' and Danny Dyson in ''Terminator Genisys''. Early life and education Dayo was born in Jos and grew up i ...

as Paul *

Brett Dier Brett Jordan Dier (; born February 14, 1990) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Michael Cordero Jr. on ''Jane the Virgin''. He is also known for his recurring roles on the Canadian TV shows ''Bomb Girls'' and ''The L.A. Comple ...

as Chad

Production

Screenwriter Lauryn Kahn, a fan of the

horror genre Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defin ...

growing up, said she wanted to write a film that would appeal to people who were horror fans and people who were not. In July 2020, it was reported Mimi Cave would direct the film in her directorial debut, for

, with

producing under his Hyperobject Industries banner. To play the antagonist,

sent Cave an audition video featuring himself dancing with a knife in hand. He added: "The dance sequences were a big concern for

ave is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...

and just in case she had any doubts that I could do it, I recorded myself in this video." Between September and December 2020,

, Stan, and Jonica T. Gibbs were announced to star.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

took place from February 3 to March 17, 2021, in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada.

Alex Somers Alex Somers (born March 7, 1984) is an American visual artist and musician from Baltimore, Maryland, who attended Berklee College of Music and Listaháskóli Íslands. Somers lives and works in Los Angeles. Previously he ran a recording studio ...

composed the score.

Release

The film premiered online at the

on January 20, 2022. Ahead of its premiere,

acquired the film's worldwide distribution rights. An in-person premiere was held on March 3, 2022, inside Hollywood Legion Post 43 on Highland Avenue. Instead of an afterparty, the premiere had a pre-screening reception due to the film's subject matter. Gina Wade Creative created a display for the reception featuring a large table with food on it, cleavers hanging on a wall, glass jars filled with raw meat, and boxes of snacks shaped like body parts. ''Fresh'' was released on

in the United States on March 4, 2022, with a Latin American premiere on

Star+ Star+ (Star Plus; stylized as ST★R+) was a short-lived subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service available in almost all Ibero-American states. The service was owned by The Walt Disney Company through the Disney Entertai ...

and a

release in all other territories on the same date via the

content hub. The film was released on March 18, 2022, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, after being pushed back a few weeks.

Reception

Audience viewership

According to

Whip Media Whip Media Group is a private American company selling enterprise software for Digital distribution, content distribution, as well as TV- and film-related user data. It operates physical offices in the US, the UK, and the EU. Background Whip Med ...

TV Time TV Time (formerly TVShow Time) is a tracking platform and social television network for TV and movies, available in app and desktop forms. Using TheTVDB as a data source, it allows users to store information about their media consumption and l ...

, ''Fresh'' was the second most streamed movie across all platforms in the United States, during the week of March 4 to March 6, 2022, and the sixth during the week of March 11 to March 13, 2022. According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, ''Fresh'' was the sixth most watched program across all platforms during the week of March 24, 2022.

Critical reception

Angela Tricarico of ''

Business Insider ''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...

'' found the portrayal of modern dating across the horror genre authentic and realistic while complimenting the chemistry of Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan. William Bibbiani of ''

TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...

'' praised the chemistry between Jones and Stan through the film, and claimed that Mimi Cave and

Pawel Pogorzelski Pawel Pogorzelski (born 1979) is a Polish-Canadian cinematographer, known for his work with director Ari Aster. Pogorzelski was born in 1979 in Włocławek, Poland but moved to Montreal with his family when he was 2. He studied at Concordia Univer ...

successfully manage to provide a horror movie that balances romance and gore. Sarah-Tai Black of ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' stated that the movie takes a fresh approach to the horror genre through its handle of horror and comedy elements, and praised the performance of Stan. Tara Brady of ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' rated the film four out of five stars, complimented the performance of the cast, and reviewed positively the feminist approach of the movie across the mental trust and friendship provided between the female characters. Tomris Laffly of ''

RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...

'' rated the film three out of four stars and declared that Cave and Pogorzelski skillfully create a satirical movie through its use humor and gore, while acclaiming the performances of Jones and Stan.

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Hulu 2022 black comedy films 2022 comedy horror films 2022 directorial debut films 2022 horror thriller films 2020s American films 2020s comedy thriller films 2020s English-language films American black comedy films American comedy horror films American comedy thriller films American horror thriller films Films about cannibalism Films about cults Films about online dating Films about Satanism Films about violence against women Films produced by Adam McKay Films scored by Alex Somers Films set in Portland, Oregon Films shot in Vancouver Hulu original films Legendary Pictures films Searchlight Pictures films 2022 independent films 2022 films American religious horror films English-language comedy horror films English-language horror thriller films English-language independent films English-language comedy thriller films