Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Fresh 

This film is a twisted and bloody tale that is incredibly well done by Mimi Cave! This films slices through you with fantastic performances and a truly riveting story that will keep you engaged to the very end it’s truly something that shouldn’t go overlooked. What fresh provides so greatly is its ability to take an exhausted genre and shoots such needed energy into it by providing a narrative on a similar genre from a new perspective that dose not feel predictable. As it’s able to show these shocking twist and turns you genuinely don’t see coming as it does in ways pay homage to filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock and even Billy Wilder in it’s approach to violence and it’s witty dialogue. I was always engaged into the story and after the picture was done felt like it was the best psychological thriller I’ve seen in the last 2 years easily. 

Firstly, the film’s strengths stem from the incredibly well structured narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat to the very end of the film. As it’s able to use the kidnap trope of horror / psychological thrillers and it really flips it on its head as their is a kidnap and that’s where the film really goes into full gear as I have seen so many films where the main character gets kidnapped and then the whole premise is they have to find a way out and as fun as that is their have been so many films that have done that over and over and I enjoy those kind of films for sure but you can try it from a different perspective or a new approach. Now that’s what Fresh does so well is it brings your attention in with the kidnapping and keeps you gripped the whole way through as the concept of the film is a man who’s going to sell parts of her body to highly rich sadistic people and she’s slowly going to be picked apart slowly now that’s a concept I haven’t seen before. Not only does it make the gravity of the situation that more interesting but you really are constantly hoping and preying she gets out before all of what she is is gone. And it’s not your typical “ i have to get out of here” film she actually does emotionally play with him so she can try to make it seem that she won’t leave and she uses that to her advantage. It’s so well done as the violence and gore factor is at times shocking but a lot of it is used with a comedic dark underdone which is very interesting you could almost call it a dark horror comedy at some points due to the nature of the dialogue and how they discuss the dark intentions this guy has for her. So as the film does lean into those thriller kidnapping film tropes it uses it to their advantage and flips its on its head and shows such more depth and layers to a very overused genre and shows a breath of fresh air to it in such a fantastic way. As what stood out to me the post was the incredible writing of not just the dialogue between both actors that crackle and pop so well but the overall tone and style of the feel was so engaging to watch unfold. 

Secondly, The performances in this film are truly outstanding! You have a brilliant breakout performance by Daisy Edgar - Jones who gives a fantastic lead performance where she holds her own to Sebastian Stan as she dose not play into the trope of damsel in distress she is incredibly cunning and sharp and really brings a fantastic emotional vulnerability and toughness to the screen that just crackles in amazing charisma. Then you have Sebastian Stan who delivers a cunning and truly terrifying performance unlike anything he’s done before. Now he’s channeled into dark emotions in films like I, Tonya and even the Hulu Series Pam&Tommy which he’s magnificent in. That being said he’s never shown such a black hearted side to him like this before it’s charming as hell and terrifyingly engaging the entire time he’s onscreen. He oozes such a cute and seductive side to him while theirs a sinister storm bubbling beneath the surface. Overall everyone in the film gives truly solid performances but it’s the two leads of the film that make the film that more engaging by their truly fantastic performances they provide. 

Lastly, Fresh injects much needed life into this over done genre and style of thrillers by providing a strong narrative that recognizes the tropes but never plays into it. The story will take turns and twists you don’t see coming and has you constantly on the edge of your seat rooting for this girl to get out all while having a blast with this original and sinister tale that you’ll want to watch again the moment it’s over anchored with some truly amazing leading performances that will have you hooked the moment their onscreen l. Fresh is truly one of the best horror/ thrillers I’ve seen in quite some time. 

This film centres around a girl who’s had a difficult time in the dating area of her life and stumbles upon a cute guy at the grocery store they hit it off and she goes away with him to his place little does she know what sinister plans come ahead. 

Rated R :  graphic violence, bloody violence and language 

Daisy Edgar Jones : Daisy Edgar Jones delivers a fantastic breakout performance! Now their have been terrific breakout performances from actors in films I’ve seen in the past couple years from the actress from happy Death Day to many more now what Daisy provides with this performance is on the level of Anya Taylor Joy from split as she gave a breakout performance in that film that skyrocket her to huge fame since the release of that film. Now that’s what her performance I would say is in the same vein as because she effortlessly is able to go into such emotional places and be so genuine with her delivery. She plays a person who has had a really hard time dating guys and so she has really little to no hope she’ll find her Prince Charming now when she does find that guy he becomes something she never could of imagined and not in a good way. Now she’s able to have this dry witty approach to the character that makes her come off really fun and comforting to watch and while the film progresses and we find out she’s kidnapped and she’s in a life or death situation her fight or flight instincts kick into gear and she truly delves deep into such depth with her character. The moment you see that she’s been drugged and told she’s going to be cut up slowly the sheer panic that washes over her face was so real she has such a vulnerability she shows through her eyes that is so brilliantly presented as she can express so much by saying so little. She may panic and freak out but she never plays a damsel in distress as she is also trying to find ways to get out of the clutches of this guy without being to obvious about it and she uses her smarts to try to outwit him. She gets him to open up emotionally and try to ease up on freaking out so he can trust her and once she gains that she uses it to her advantage and it’s so incredibly brought to life through her performance as every line she delivers is so layered in emotion and she shines so well In the film giving what I think is one of the most memorable breakout performance I’ve seen in a horror/ thriller in a long time and it’s not like she plays a supporting role no she’s the co lead of the film next to Sebastian Stan. I love that their able to get new up and coming actors a shot at big films like this as they easily could of gotten someone who’s already super famous but instead they chose a lesser known actress for the part and I guarantee after the great success of this film she’ll have many offers for big film roles and I hope she does as Daisy Edgar Jones gives a terrific performance in this film that shouldn’t go unnoticed. 

Sebastian Stan : This man is turning into one of the best actors working right now! He gave us the incredible work in the MCU with his turn as the tortured soul of Bucky Barnes and then expanded his range with I, Tonya and continued to flex his dramatic range with the Devil All The Time and just tackled playing the controversial drummer of Motley Crüe Tommy Lee In Pam& Tommy. He’s constantly taking on projects that challenge him and show new sides to him which I respect. He never repeats the same thing he’s constantly evolving and here he gives another great performance with his chilling and truly terrifying work in Fresh. He plays this person named Steve who on the surface seems like a likeable, cute and charismatic guy with a fun sense of humour and he lures the girl in with that personality and then once the film progresses he shows her what his true intentions are with her and their insanely dark and sinister. As he is going to sell parts of her meat and essentially cut her apart slowly and so not only is he doing something that is horrible and incredibly inhumane. He enjoys what he’s doing to her and makes uncomfortably fun remarks of how he’s going to enjoy doing it and Sebastian Stan takes on the task of playing this despicable human being that has no remorse for what he’s doing and he brings such a darkness to the screen we haven’t seen him channel emotionally before. Now we have seen him play an abusive partner in I, Tonya which really was the first time we got to see him in a dramatic role and then with The Devil All The Time playing a hard as nails cop but not like this though. Here he is totally cold hearted and you can see his performance very much is influenced by serial killers like Ted Bundy and  Jeffrey Dahmer. Now he uses his charm to reel you in and then can switch from charismatic to incredibly black eyed and terror filled in his face within the flick of a switch. And it’s truly chilling to watch as he’s so emotive with his eyes and can tell you so much without saying anything and another brilliant layer that he shows from his character is the ability to use humour to water down the sadistic activities he’s doing. He could be doing something incredibly monstrous but he makes jokes or smiles and uses his charm to make light of it and it’s actually disturbing at times how convincing Sebastian Stan is in those moments as it’s something serial killers would use in real life. He plays his character very much like a Cobra in shiny armour why I say that is because he’s so complex in depth and character but on the outside is all cute and welcoming but once he sheds and sheds you see the dark and sinister parts of his heart and it’s a very at times emotionally well balanced performance that walks a fine line between charismatic and psychotic and he mixed both together in a explosive result onscreen. He was able to show so many sides to this very incredibly interesting villain and delving into places emotionally we hadn’t seen Sebastian Stan go before and it’s truly engaging to watch from start to finish. He has been giving great performances one after the other and he is constantly taking on roles he hasn’t done and going to new depths and limits with himself and here he explores the headspace of a serial killer in such a chilling portrayal it’s oozing with charisma and a bone chilling onscreen presence Sebastian Stan delivers one of the best performances of his entire career with his work as this sadistic, unhinged character it’s truly a outstanding performance. 

Mimi Cave : This filmmaker  crafted a damn good psychological/ thriller with truly a stand out screenplay brought to life by Lauryn Kahn and it’s so well constructed from start to finish. The film doesn’t fall into the tropes of thrillers or psychological thrillers that came before it Mimi Cave was able to bring a new look to a overdone genre and really shoot it with some well needed adrenaline. As the film takes moves you don’t see coming and twists that are very shocking at times and Mimi brings this film into a very simple setting as the entire film really all takes place in Sebastian Stan’s house and for the remaining time the film is a pressure cooker as the girl has to outwit his character. Now that entire plot of her outwitting him isn’t so simple as most thrillers make it theirs a depth and complexity to the way she goes about getting out of the house she tries to get inside her captors head and use her social abilities to charm her way into his heart and then when she successfully does that use that to her advantage it’s such a smart way of going about it as this film easily could of had a paper thin premise as these films are done all the time but Mimi Cave brought such a engaging look and feel to the film that made it really stand out and not just from the great writing contributed to the picture but her ability to avoid the tropes and really give off a style and tone that hasn’t been seen in such a gripping way in some time. And her ability to mix the comedy with the darker elements was so well constructed as she never had to much of either it was a even balance resulting in a great mix of styles and then getting truly fantastic performances from both her leads and even the supporting cast too she truly brought a fantastic popcorn thriller to the screen that is one of the best of its genre I’ve seen in some time and a lot of the credit is due to the great writing and fantastic direction by Mimi Cave.