 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: The Perfection • Year: 2018 • Country: USA • Director: Richard Shepard • Main cast: Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber, Alaina Huffman • Runtime: 90 minutes • Production company: Capstone Film Group, Netflix • TRAILER
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The Perfection (2018) was added yesterday to the Netflix catalog. Although I am one of the people who still defend Netflix as a very useful channel for new releases that won’t find their way into big cinemas, it is true that sometimes it is a not so easy task to always keep good words towards the popular streaming platform. It is well known the liberty Netflix gives to the creators and filmmakers, and the fact that economically they are very reliable when it’s the time to pay the fees to the owners of the media, but perhaps the taste of the Netflix executives should refine a little bit. At least when it comes to movies.
The Perfection (2018) was screened at festivals like Fantastic Fest and Chicago Critics Film Festival before being purchased as Video on Demand, but is that a good or a bad thing? It really depends on who you ask. I can see the filmmakers of the movie could have had big pretensions when developing it, but the final result is not following the intents. So let’s get deeper into that.
By the definition of the situations and the plot description, it is clear that The Perfection (2018) has been bloomed to be a horror mystery thriller. I can see the influence of movies like Martyrs (2008), for example, and these are big words coming from me, a huge fan of the French movie. Because I liked a lot the story of The Perfection (2018). I found it very well written, a good structure, and a good sense in storytelling that kept me on my chair with my eyes glued to the screen at all time. The main problem is that what I was seeing didn’t follow the worth of the story. From everything going well, very well, on the paper, the collection of images and sounds on the screen are not satisfying enough. And that is only to blame on Richard Shepard, the director of the movie, and also one of the writers of the screenplay together with Eric C. Charmelo and Nicole Snyder, the people responsible of mystery TV series like Ringer (2011–2012) and Supernatural (2005– ). Perhaps that is the main problem with The Perfection (2018), the structure, plot and intensity should be the one of a 90 minutes feature film, straight to the neck and dressed to kill, instead of having the wandering pace of TV series, where it doesn’t matter if you lose your tension because more episodes are yet to come.
The movie plot is centered on a talented musician and former child star who gets her attention on what could be the new generation self. Two very gifted female cellists who become close friends but there is always the shadow of rivalry surrounding them. Especially when strange incidents start to happen. It is structured in 4 acts where the movie pretty much changes its perspective. Did I already mention how much I liked the storytelling and narrative structure of the movie?
So many good things, but in the end such a weak result. The main acting duo, formed by Allison Williams and Logan Browning, has lots of chemistry and magic. Williams, who already bedazzled us all with her appearance in Get Out (2017), brings out another seductive yet cold performance where one doesn’t know the real intentions of the character. Is she a friend or a foe? Her face can be at times so friendly and expressive but then become a concrete wall, no one can decipher what is behind it. And her partner in crime Browning deserves similar compliments. The former Bratz (2007) teen star is a competent actress able to switch from being a sexy youngster craving to have a blast on her vacations after seasons of hard work to an evil being eager to vengeance.
Special mention to the soundtrack of the movie. How can a flick where music is so important, the characters being successful musicians, it all happening between the surroundings of the classical music society, have such a dull soundtrack? Music with no personality, not bringing any emotions to the action of the film, not fear, peace, romance, anxiety, climax… Set decorations, landscapes and cinematography, together with the good work of the actors, are the things to outstand in The Perfection (2018). But a lame soundtrack and a very very weak direction are more fittable in the mediocrity.
The Perfection (2018) is a perfect example of a movie that in the hands of a more qualified director would have become one of the most notorious horror titles of the year and maybe even the decade. It has plenty of potentials, but it’s all wasted in bad execution. Still, it is enjoyable enough, a good title for a boring night craving for scary stories.
RATE: 6/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7772580
