The Perfection (2019) Review!!!

Synopsis – When troubled musical prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams) seeks out Elizabeth (Logan Browning), the new star pupil of her former school, the encounter sends both musicians down a sinister path with shocking consequences.

My Take – I would clearly understand if anyone would be apprehensive about watching this film, especially considering the streaming giant’s original film track record.

But trust me when I say this – a serious exception has to be made for this one, as this is easily one of the year’s best thrillers! Not just that, but this gonzo horror film-cum-erotic thriller, directed by Richard Shepard (The Matador, Dom Hemingway) is one of the craziest features to hit Netflix like ever.

Mixing elements from such popular acclaimed works as Black Swan, Whiplash, and Saw, this film starts out as a simple thriller, and gradually keeps on horrifying you with its proceedings. While the trailer manages to unrevealing and addictive, the film keeps pulling the rug from under you with its twists and turns, that will no doubt leave you both squirming in your seat and cheering.

I would clearly understand if anyone would be apprehensive about watching this film, especially considering the streaming giant’s original film track record. But trust me when I say this – a serious exception has to be made for this one, as this is easily one of the year’s best thrillers! Not just that, but this gonzo horror film-cum-erotic thriller, directed by Richard Shepard (The Matador, Dom Hemingway) is one of the craziest features to hit Netflix like ever.

The story follows Charlotte (Allison Williams), a gifted cellist and a musical prodigy, who was compelled to leave her prestigious music school as a teenager to care for her ailing mother. Now ten years later, after her death, Charlotte reaches out to her former mentors at the Academy, Anton (Steven Weber) and Paloma Bachoff (Alaina Huffman), to get some guidance, and finds herself invited to Shanghai to join a selection committee to choose the next prodigy for their school from three possible candidates.

It is here, were she is introduced to Lizzie (Logan Browning), the Bachoffs’s star student, the one who replaced Charlotte. But rather than clashing, the two find a great deal in common, and also plan a grungy touring road trip around China. But when the trip unexpectedly goes terribly wrong, it brings everything crashing down not only on the two artists but also on their beloved mentors.

From the first twist on, the film takes off running, continually shifting the narrative to keep the audience guessing until the very end. On the most basic level, this is a story about both love and revenge. And, it covers both an honest and pure love as well as the sickest and most disturbing kind.

The film shows us the joy in genuine imperfection as this little horror/thriller isn’t perfect but it’s a lean and mean affair that isn’t afraid to get a little nasty which is where the pure joy of this story really comes from. Here, director Richard Shepard, whose credits also include work on Criminal Minds and Girls, has delivered a script that sticks with you. The script he co-wrote with Eric C Charmelo and Nicole Snyder has some real snap to it as they’ve all designed a macabre little world that we all know isn’t real but is still authentic enough to insidiously get under our screen and bounce us across the full spectrum of emotions.

The style of this storytelling did also remind me of Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Mostly due to the fact that you just know something more is going on. You see certain things unfold but still feel absolutely sure that there’s so much more to this story and you’d be right. This a film that adopts many forms for a whirlwind of emotions, ranging from confused to ultimately thrill by its final moments.

For a hypnotic piece of film making, director Shepard’s film has a lot on its mind in terms of style to get its message across with a wicked grin and vicious results. The film’s grosser moments — insects are involved, as are a clearer and more stitches than you’ve ever seen outside of a medical drama — are horrific, and director Shepard doesn’t shy away from gore. These types of bonkers thrills are what hyperbolic reactions are made for.

It’s too rare of an occurrence that an erotic thriller is able to convey its themes with such tragedy and grace, while still having its tongue firmly planted in cheek. Trust me. This is one film you’ll want to go in as fresh as possible and let its filmmaker’s twisted mind paint a bloody canvas.

Of course, all this wouldn’t have worked if the performances were not on point. Allison Williams, who was as brilliantly dynamic and confident in Get Out, continues her love for the horror genre. Here, once again she is absolutely brilliant in both the tiniest ways and those big bold ones.

Logan Browning (Dear White People) also manages to do well. There is an extended bus sequence that’s a showcase for Browning’s talents that will have audiences talking for years to come. The interplay between Williams and Browning is electric as the two women have some of the best chemistry between actors I’ve witnessed in years.

Steven Weber chews the scenery and is simply sublime as their mentor. In supporting roles, Alaina Huffman, Graeme Duffy, Mark Kandborg and Molly Grace are also good. On the whole, ‘The Perfection’ is a riveting and twisted psychological horror thriller that manages to horrify and entertain at the same time.