The Perfection is one of those films that is best experienced knowing little going in. It’s full of twists and turns, shocks, and reveals popping up at nearly every corner of the story. I haven’t seen a film in such a long time that kept me on my toes for so much of the runtime, completely unsure of where it would go next. On the other hand, I would honestly go as far as to say that the film doesn’t offer much on rewatch, so if you’re the slightest bit curious of this movie, go and check it out. It is still very much worth it.
The basic gist of the thing is that Allison Williams plays Charlotte, a musical prodigy destined for greatness. At least, if it weren’t for the fact that she had to leave a prestigious music school and her mentor, Anton (Steve Weber), in order to care for her sick mother. Years later, she crosses path with Anton, and meets Lizzie (Logan Browning), the student who replaced her and achieved all the fame and fortune and prestige that she desired.
That is all I can give away without getting into spoilers, and I would prefer to keep the surprises just that. For the first two acts, I was absolutely enthralled. Director, Richard Shepard, and his co-writers, Nicole Snyder and Eric C. Charmelo, had me at their mercy. It was so much fun seeing them play with your expectations, and constantly throw you for a loop, thinking the story will go one way, only to see it go in a totally different direction that you hadn’t even considered. It was easy to see why this resonated with so many audiences during its festival run before it was picked up by Netflix.
I specify the first two acts because I have mixed feelings about the final half hour of the film. During this time, it becomes clear what’s really going on, and while I won’t give away the plot details, I am going to bring up the thematic beats that initially started off as subtext, but was then suddenly thrust to the forefront. In here, the film deals with institutionalized abuse, internalized misogyny, and the pressures put on women – young women, especially – to achieve, you guessed it, perfection. Almost out of nowhere, the filmmakers abruptly has this desire to have the film “be about something,” and I am not convinced they was anywhere near prepared to deal with such heavy issues, especially given certain plot details from earlier in the film that makes later revelations harder to take seriously. I can certainly admire the intentions of the filmmakers for wanting to bring some stakes that felt more real, but it was doing so well as a simple, trashy thriller that it doesn’t do the work necessary to earn the weight of those very real issues.
That said, the performances sell it all, every bonkers moment of it. Williams is stellar, initially bringing an ice cold presence that opens up in interesting ways as the film goes on. Browning was an actress I really enjoyed seeing on Netflix’s TV adaptation of Dear White People, and it’s great to see her branch out into some wild genre material. She handles herself incredibly well with all the weird tonal shifts that the film takes, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of her in the future.
The Perfection is definitely far from…perfection (sorry, I mean, how could I not, it’s right there), but I am ultimately glad I got to experience it. It’s gloriously gonzo and go-for-broke in mostly all the right ways, utilizing nifty camera tricks, gruesome imagery, editing gags, and moments of pure shock and terror mixed with a sly but ever present dark sense of humor. No matter what you think of it, it’s going to spark some fun conversations between you and your friends, and that’s always a good thing. Plus, despite the final act not totally working for me, the film ends on one hell of an image. If anything, you aren’t going to be forgetting about this movie anytime soon.