Writer(s): Shepard, Nicole Snyder and Eric C. Charmelo
Starring: Logan Browning, Allison Williams, Steven Weber and Alaina Huffman
If you were to believe the marketing materials for The Perfection, you might be led to believe that it's a violent grotesque film that led to several audience members leaving or passing out. If that is truly the case it wouldn't be because of the film's level of violence, but rather the lack of a visual trigger warning as the film deals with some pretty heavy themes, albeit quite poorly.
It all centers on Charlotte and Elizabeth Wells, two members of an elite music school for cellists. Actually, Charlotte was a former member who left to take care of her sick mother 10 years prior, and is returning because her mother finally passed. So great was her gift that she is welcomed back with open arms, and paraded around by the mysterious Anton. She seems to take an immediate liking to Lizzie, and vice versa - before you know it the two are making love in a hotel room.
As it turns out, it’s a case of perfect timing: She is getting a week off - her first one in a long time - and doesn’t seem to even have a grasp on how to spend it: she has lived and breathed music for so long that there hasn’t been any time to think about anything else. Charlotte suggests they get away for a little while so that she can clear her mind. But during the long bus ride, things quickly take a turn for the worse. Lizzie complains that she doesn’t feel well and starts to vomit. She’s in pain to the point that she feels like she’s dying. Charlotte tries comforting her, but to no avail; eventually, they cause such a commotion that the bus driver kicks them off the bus in the middle of nowhere.
This leads to a shocking act of violence that comes complete with computer generated bugs (?) and that will eventually test the newly-formed bond between the two. But is everything as it appears to be? Or is there more to the story that we might not know about?
The Perfection is one of those movies that seems to think it’s cooler than it actually is. During a couple points, after a revelatory scene, it rewinds back in time to show what actually happened to lead us up to that point. It’s kind of a neat narrative trick similar to the one used in Funny Games, only it’s less necessary here; the details are often pretty obvious beforehand, which means the “rewinding” only hammers home what we already pretty much assumed.
It’s also broken down into four separate sections, presumably because the director saw this idea used in other movies and thought it was cool. Once again, it’s completely pointless: The chapters don’t break the story down in any meaningful way, and actually become more of a distraction than anything else.
The performances are good, and about the only reason that one should even bother sitting through this mess. The “twist” is timely, but it completely missed the mark for me. Maybe it’s because the route the story takes to get to where it’s going is completely nonsensical. It’s the central act of violence - and most of the events thereafter - that relegate this one to the garbage bin. Not at all because it’s shocking, but because the sequence feels like a cheap attention grab; an irrelevant moment that easily could have been replaced with something less...tacky that still could have propelled the story forward in a much more meaningful way.
And maybe that would have even given the revelation the proper attention it deserves. It could have made it the most powerful moment, instead of just feeling like another tacked on attempt to be relevant. I'm not at all saying the attempted message isn't worthwhile, because it absolutely is. But when the trailer focuses on the "appalling" violence, and makes it seem more like a slasher than one that carries weight, it cheapens the effect, almost making it feel exploitative.
Then we get down to the finale, and are treated to yet another “rewind” moment that shows us exactly how the characters ended up in the predicament they’re in. And all I could think about is how I wish I could steal that remote, and rewind back to a time before I suggested we watch this mess.
RATING: 3.5/10
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