Sundance 2022: Speak No Evil, Fresh, Babysitter | Festivals & Awards


Of course, there’s no need to choose: both kinds of fear are radiating off the screen in hot, frantic waves by the film’s end. It’s a perfect pickup for Shudder, AMC Networks’ horror-centric streaming service, which acquired the film last week and will release it to subscribers later this year.  

Elsewhere in the Midnight section, Mimi Cave’s Fresh mines the related anxieties and social contracts of modern dating for sick kicks of its own, though it’s working in a more cartoonish, crowd-pleasing key. The film was acquired by Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures ahead of its Sundance premiere and will premiere on Hulu in March. And such a high-profile distribution plan makes sense for “Fresh,” which benefits immensely from the twisted chemistry of its leads, Cave’s confidence behind the camera, and the spiky script devised by Lauryn Kahn.

Daisy Edgar-Jones, of Hulu’s “Normal People,” stars as Noa, a twentysomething in modern Los Angeles who regularly scrolls dating apps in search of a decent guy. She’s exhausted by this pursuit, and the film only needs one excruciatingly bad date to show us why. When Noa is approached in the produce aisle of her local supermarket by Steve (Sebastian Stan), a handsome and seemingly available stranger, she interprets this encounter as the answer to her prayers. 

Though Noa’s best friend Molly (Jojo T Gibbs) raises an eyebrow at Steve’s lack of social media, their courtship plays out in predictably sweet fashion—until Noa lets Steve spirit her away to a remote location, at which point his mood seems to darken. “Fresh” doesn’t drop its title until 40 minutes in, when the meet-cutes and first-date foibles of its first act end with a rug-pull so savage—and, in Cave’s hands, so chillingly plausible—that you share Noa’s sudden, sinking realization that she’s trapped.

“Fresh” has been teased in marketing materials as a movie about “the horrors of modern dating,” though it would do the film’s admirably twisted story a disservice to assess it first as social commentary.  That’s not to say there’s no substance to the film’s view of violent masculinity as an ingrained cultural behavior, nor to deny the corrosive truth of its assessment that the gift of fear, of gut instinct, is often all women can rely on to survive encounters with men who mean them harm. But, in “Fresh,” Cave and Kahn acknowledge the traumatic weight of these realities without making them the film’s point. Noa’s ordeal leaves your stomach in knots, as does the horrifying normality with which Steve’s snare closes around her, but the fantastically cruel and darkly comic twists “Fresh” delivers from there are what give the film its bite.

You can view the original article HERE.

Kamala Harris Performs ‘SNL’ Cold Open, Takes Shot at Donald Trump
Kamala Harris Performs ‘SNL’ Cold Open, Takes Shot at Donald Trump
Fake Trump Statement on Peanut The Squirrel Makes Social Media Go Nuts
Fake Trump Statement on Peanut The Squirrel Makes Social Media Go Nuts
Cardi B Fires ‘Up’ Crowd at Kamala Harris Rally in Milwaukee
Cardi B Fires ‘Up’ Crowd at Kamala Harris Rally in Milwaukee
Taylor Swift brings U.S. ‘Eras Tour’ to a close. What’s it like to cover the pop star? These journalists know all too well.
Taylor Swift brings U.S. ‘Eras Tour’ to a close. What’s it like to cover the pop star? These journalists know all too well.
Ke Huy Quan’s New Movie Love Hurts Is a ‘Kung Fu Love Story’
Ke Huy Quan’s New Movie Love Hurts Is a ‘Kung Fu Love Story’
All 4 Movies & TV Shows From PlayStation Productions, Ranked
All 4 Movies & TV Shows From PlayStation Productions, Ranked
Centenarian Icons Celebrated During Wellness Warrior Weekend  | Chaz’s Journal
Centenarian Icons Celebrated During Wellness Warrior Weekend  | Chaz’s Journal
Eddie Murphy’s Norbit Roasted on Letterboxd After Prime Video Debut
Eddie Murphy’s Norbit Roasted on Letterboxd After Prime Video Debut
You don’t know not one thing about the American struggle
You don’t know not one thing about the American struggle
Here’s every song on the ‘Anora’ soundtrack
Here’s every song on the ‘Anora’ soundtrack
Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63
Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63
When will ‘Pokémon TCG Pocket’ get trading?
When will ‘Pokémon TCG Pocket’ get trading?
Grant Williams ejected late in Hornets’ loss for trucking Tatum
Grant Williams ejected late in Hornets’ loss for trucking Tatum
Teoscar: Re-signing with Dodgers ‘the priority’ in free agency
Teoscar: Re-signing with Dodgers ‘the priority’ in free agency
Wembanyama posts 2nd career 5×5 game
Wembanyama posts 2nd career 5×5 game
Rams’ Nacua injures knee again, reportedly not considered major
Rams’ Nacua injures knee again, reportedly not considered major
Days of Our Lives Spoilers For The Week of 11-04-24: Life Goes On In Salem Despite Heartbreaking Losses
Days of Our Lives Spoilers For The Week of 11-04-24: Life Goes On In Salem Despite Heartbreaking Losses
The Beginning of the End is a Zombie Streaming Hit on Prime Video
The Beginning of the End is a Zombie Streaming Hit on Prime Video
Magpie Director Sam Yates Discusses His Daisy Ridley Thriller and the Neo-Noir Genre
Magpie Director Sam Yates Discusses His Daisy Ridley Thriller and the Neo-Noir Genre
We Need To Talk About Why Blue Bloods’ Erin Reagan Is So Unpopular
We Need To Talk About Why Blue Bloods’ Erin Reagan Is So Unpopular
Estée Lauder’s New CEO, Naomi Campbell Covers V, & More!
Estée Lauder’s New CEO, Naomi Campbell Covers V, & More!
Heidi Klum’s Spooky Bash & More!
Heidi Klum’s Spooky Bash & More!
Madewell Darted Barrel Leg Jeans Review
Madewell Darted Barrel Leg Jeans Review
Valentino’s Dover Street Market Pop-Ups, Victoria Beckham
Valentino’s Dover Street Market Pop-Ups, Victoria Beckham