As any writer can attest, it is always a challenge writing a review about a movie with lots of twists and turns, as it becomes difficult to get too deep into the movie without running into spoiler territory. That is especially true with the recent Netflix release The Perfection. An original horror-thriller from director Richard Shepard (Girls), the film doesn’t appear to be much more than your standard stalking thriller, something in the vein of Single White Female. In fact, I passed over it several times because it didn’t seem like anything special. A movie about cello players that takes place in China with one of the actresses from Girls? “Nah, I’m good,” I thought. Boy, was I wrong!
The movie begins with Charlotte Willmore (Allison Williams, Get Out), a former cello prodigy, arriving in Shanghai, China to judge an audition designed to select a new student for the same prestigious music academy in Boston that she attended. We quickly learn that, after several years at the school, Charlotte was forced to leave the academy and give up her dreams of performing in order to care for her terminally-ill mother. Following her departure, a new student, Elizabeth Wells (Logan Browning, Dear White People), assumed her role as star pupil and has gone on to great success as a world-class cellist. Elizabeth, or Lizzie, is also here as the other judge ahead of a much-needed two-week vacation. Overseeing the auditions is Anton (Steven Weber, Wings), headmaster of the academy and mentor to both Charlotte and Lizzie. Although both were stars at the school, it is clear that Lizzie is now the top dog and Anton’s new favorite.
Following a night of dancing and partying together, Charlotte and Lizzie end up back at Lizzie’s hotel room for an intimate encounter. The next morning, Lizzie wakes with a killer hangover. Charlotte helps her out with some remedies so that they can proceed with the day’s activities, which include a bus trip into rural China. Unfortunately, Lizzie’s condition worsens as the day goes on, ultimately forcing the bus driver to abandon the pair on the side of the mountain road. From here, the story kicks into another gear and goes into some seriously dark territory.
To go any further into a synopsis would do the story a disservice. Suffice to say, most viewers will be surprised, if not shocked, by the events that follow, culminating in an insane finale. Although the performances by the three leads are quite strong, the real star here is the screenplay by director Shepard, along with co-writers Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder. It is unlike anything I’ve seen before in horror. The best comparison I can make would be to the films of Quentin Tarantino, particularly Pulp Fiction and The Hateful Eight. I realize that is very high praise and, while this is not quite at the level of those Tarantino classics, the structure and unpredictability of The Perfection is at least reminiscent of QT’s brilliant writing. Add in some excellent directing and editing, and you’re left with a film that should become a cult classic over time.
The Perfection is best viewed going in knowing as little as possible, but hopefully I was able to bring some awareness to the film without spoiling very much about it. It is truly a movie not to be missed!
The Perfection is currently streaming on Netflix.
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