Fresh
Well-received horror movie from a couple of years back. I thought it was an effective film; and, in a genre where there's probably more misfires than there are hits, that should already be noteworthy. Still, I think I could not shake the sense that I had seen this sort of thing before. It struck me as reminiscent of other genre films. For me, anyway, it felt like an amalgamation of Hostel 2, Get Out, and It Follows. The plot was very different from any of those films, so it was not as though there was narrative redundancy. It was more just the overall tone, certain character arcs, and the emphasis on some wealthy cabal doing terrible things that struck similar notes. Essentially, Daisy Edgar-Jones plays a young woman who hates the dating scene but feels compelled to keep going out there. The movie gives us a good window in to the type of guys she's meeting through the dating apps. The date we see her on, at the beginning of the film, for instance, involved a guy with incredibly little self-awareness. She then meets Sebastian Stan at the grocery store. He comes across as charming and kind. At the risk of spoiling...he's not. They strike up a romance and Stan's true intentions come to light after they make a plan to go on a trip together.
The film does not aim for jump scare type of horror, which is a plus. It could probably be considered more of a thriller than a horror film if not for the fact that it ramps up the disgust factor in a manner that seems very much in line with the horror genre. While director Mimi Cave and the crew do a very good job technically, I think the performances are the most notable aspect of the movie. Edgar-Jones, particularly, packs her performance with a lot of emotional weight that helps to rapidly set the tone of fear and dread in the film. This was actually the first film I've seen her in, but it's clear, from this performance, why her career is blowing up. She does an excellent job. Stan has impressed me a lot. He really took the increased visibility from the MCU and ran with it, but in unpredictable directions, doing interesting projects and taking a variety of roles.
Jonica Gibbs was also very good as the main character's close friend. I didn't necessarily like the way that her storyline played out, but the dynamics between the two friends and her character's commitment to her friend's welfare were definitely good aspects of the movie.
Though the film does fall into some genre tropes toward the end, there is effective slow-burn buildup to that sequence.
7/10