The Perfection (2018) - Good for Them

It’s hard to talk about The Perfection (2018), because the twists of the film are what make it stand out from the crowd. This isn’t in the same way as Hereditary, with which saying what the film is about ruins the two-hour long build-up of figuring out what the film is about. Rather, The Perfection’s success relies on it twisting both plot and sub-genre.

The premise, simply put, is that this is a film about a once great celloist encountering her old teacher’s new prodigy. And nothing goes happily from there.

It was interesting to me that this film divided opinions on Tumblr – given that this film features two women in love, one a woman of colour, and (spoilers) does not fall into the kill your gays trope. The discussion of both women’s agency is an interesting point to consider, when we take into account whose story we see more of. It’s a hard point to come to a conclusion about, but definitely something to consider.

Another point made discussed the effect of a male writer/director on this movie, and if that effected the legitimacy of the themes the narrative discusses. However, there were also two female writers alongside him and the themes that reveal themselves throughout the movie are handled maturely and with dignity. This leads into a much larger argument on who should tell who’s story and

Leading on from that, there was also a debate on listing content in the description of movies on Netflix. This includes subjects that are potentially triggering without prior warning. Indeed, in the case of The Perfection, it is the reveal of these triggering aspects that the impact of the movie relies upon. With popular fanfiction site Archive of our Own, authors can choose ‘not to use specific warnings,’ which essentially means ‘anything could happen in here but revealing it to you would be spoilers.’ I think that’s a sensible approach, rather than potentially giving away any of the plot. However, I would argue that there’s a shared responsibility between streaming device and viewer – the streaming device gives an age warning, but for more specific warnings, sites like ‘doesthedogdie.com’ can be utilised. I do think the conversation of who is responsible for in-depth content warnings is interesting, but like most things, is a two-way street.

The Perfection is filmed, beautifully. The juxtaposition of the cello playing scene with Charlotte (Allison Williams) and Lizzie (Logan Browning)’s sex scene puts across the feeling of freedom and mutual respect the two women have for each other. It does a great job of investing you in the relationship between them, which really is the driving force of the entire movie. This is a story about two women in love, and the ending is a testament to that.

Speaking of the ending, this film has a similar feel to American Mary in that, the general feeling you are left with is ‘good for them.’ Any film that ends with an abuser getting a brutal revenge feels like it’s on to something. It’s cathartic and it’s a justice that we don’t see often in the real world. (Not that I’m advocating for the level these ladies go to.)

The acting, as in most Netflix originals, is compelling and the leads do a great job of leading the story onwards. And, considering the abrupt genre hops, this is needed. Even though said genre hops are startling, the film does a great job of encapsulating the feel of each kind. From disease in a foreign country horror to psychological, it’s clear that thought was put into the mise-en-scene and overall feel of every part of this movie. The only part that feels out of place is the hands-on attack of the climax, which feels a little chaotic and only thrown in to add some bloody effects.

Overall, not much can be said about The Perfection without spoiling what it does so well. I can only recommend it. There’s such a discussion online that it would be really interesting to hear more voices talk out and discuss this movie and its underlying messages.