Starring:Â Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber
Directed by: Richard Shepard (“Dom Hemingway”)
Written by: Richard Shepard (“Dom Hemingway”), Eric C. Carmelo (debut) and Nicole Snyder (debut)
With all the crazy concepts, plot twists and narrative risks (for better or worse) that are in genre film, there will always be a segment of movies that are best experienced cold. Heading into the theater knowing as little as possible can yield the best results as each twist and turn can make the first watch a truly unique experience. With “The Perfection,†it is almost best to reduce the plot to its simplest terms: a story about two women that takes place within the world of music. Vague enough for you?
One of the best things about “The Perfection†his how straightly played it is. While certain things that go down are patently insane, actresses Allison Williams and Logan Browning play it with intensity and true chemistry. While plot details will be kept under wraps to preserve its shocking surprises, its fair to say that there is some ambiguity to their relationship to one another and what their motives are. The film keeps its mysteries close to the vest until an entertaining and extremely well executed reveal that entirely changes the course of the movie.
After this pivot point, “The Perfection†starts to wade into territory of familiarity and its messages get a little bit blunted. Without question, it delivers on the gore and sadism you’d expect from a genre film, but it feels like a tale of two movies. It is almost as if it would have worked better as a short film containing only the first half and the little magic trick that it pulls.
Still, “The Perfection†is without question a very entertaining midnight movie. It’s a unique spin on the horror/thriller genre that allows its cast to simultaneously play around and bring gravitas to strong results, even if the film is a little top heavy.