Missed Opportunity Movie Review: "The Perfection" (2019)
I must confess: I hadn’t even heard of The Perfection until reading about it having won a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Streaming Premiere Movie this week. The life of a reviewer is a funny thing. I watch movies all the time, but there are so many out there that some good ones will inevitably fly under your personal radar. I couldn’t sleep well last night, though, so I set out to rectify my oversight and see if this musical monstrosity was worthy of the praise.
I should have known better than to question a newly minted Chainsaw winner. Oh my God! I’ll be maddeningly vague in the specifics of my review because you need to go into this one with nothing more than a basic premise. Trust me on this.
Charlotte Willmore (Allison Williams; Get Out) is a musical prodigy, a cellist who was forced to leave the prestigious Bachoff Academy of Music at the height of her fame and power ten years ago when her mother had a devastating stroke. Her mother passes, and she is now free to return to the world she left behind. Her mentor, Anton (Steven Weber; The Shining), is happy to have her back and invites to an event in Shanghai. There’s one catch- her spot at the top of the heap has been usurped by the younger (and much more talented) Lizzie (Logan Browning; Dear White People). Though Charlotte’s jealousy is evident, the two strike up a surprising relationship that takes multiple unexpected turns and leads the two musical geniuses to revelations and actions that will redefine the word shocking.
The Perfection is a crazy film to just sit and take in because it straddles so many different genres (and not always smoothly). First, it feels like an anthology in that it’s broken down into four numbered segments that look and feel wildly different. There are moments of sheer body horror that make you uncomfortable straight down to your bowels (you’ll see what I mean) and may have you gouging your own skin off (unfortunately, you’ll see what I mean here too). In equal measure, it’s pure art house horror, with an elegance and grace that makes it feel like it’s not horror at all. The psycho-sexual aspects of The Perfection run from torrid and steamy all the way to “why the hell would I watch this?!” And the violence? While it’s not a constant sight, the visceral and graphic nature of the physical violence is unflinching and unapologetic. One particular moment will make even hardened horror fans gasp a bit.
The twists, turns, and backtracks will invariably be off-putting to some viewers in the same way that handheld camera work induces vertigo in a portion of viewers. The windy narrative wasn’t a detraction for me, but there are those who just hate it on principle. The Perfection will drive those people nuts on that front, but it is so original and singular that it ultimately won’t matter.
A big reason for that are the two leads and the supporting awesomeness of genre cult figure Steven Weber. Allison Williams and Logan Browning look the part of the polar opposites they play, but their chemistry is so palpable that you could reach out and grab it. Sure, they’re flat-out gorgeous women, but their individual talents and the power that talent holds over them makes the performances layered and rich. Weber is simply a god in this type of role- smarmy, smug, and overbearing. He’s the heel that doesn’t look like he should be…then he opens his mouth and wickedness falls out. It’s kind of sublime.
The Perfection is the kind of movie that makes you so appreciative of the age of the streaming service. This movie probably would have died a quick death in theaters (if it made it there at all). As is often the case with really good horror, there’s a lot being said here. The Perfection asks you to look at the ugly side of abuse, trauma, selfless giving, and the pursuit of absolute perfection. It’s not a mass appeal kind of flick, but there’s nothing else like it unless you’re talking about Suspiria.
And really, doesn’t that tell you just about everything you need to know?
