It’s difficult to talk about The Perfection - Netflix’s latest horror-thriller - without going into spoiler territory. What starts off as something that takes a page right out of Black Swan’s book - in which a former child prodigy cellist named Charlotte (Allison Williams) travels to Shanghai and reconnects with her former mentor Anton (Steven Weber) and his new star Lizzie (Logan Browning) - quickly goes into some wildly different territory. The film is ultimately one of the strangest horror movies out in quite some time, touching upon material that’s uncomfortable yet still has a lot to say.
Broken up into four chapters, the film feels like three totally different movies, with a narrative full of twists and turns that jump through multiple genres. At times, it feels like a straight-up creepy horror movie, other times a subtle character drama, and at other times an exploitative action movie. And rarely does it ever attempt to try blend any of two of these elements together in a single scene, shifting from one narrative flow to the next. With other movies, this tactic would be jarring to watch, and to a degree it is, as it shifts gears. Though the film makes up for its disorienting transitions with sequences that crank up the energy and engage the viewer, whether through its performances or its action.
The film’s exploitative style at times may turn certain viewers off, especially due to some of the sensitive subject matter it portrays. While nothing overtly-graphic is seen, there are some fairly in-depth conversations at multiple points revolving around the more delicate material, and they’re used as a driving force behind many key moments, especially in the film’s third act. While the end result of these moments wind up being emotionally satisfying moments, some of the material one must tread through to get there can be somewhat uncomfortable, and rightfully so.
While the film does go into some dark territory, it maintains a twisted sense of humor. While it never necessarily kicks struggling or victimized characters while they’re down, the movie’s funnier moments arise during some of the more chilling, hair-raising moments. It’s that constant reminder that humor arises from some of the darkest places, and while the film contains moments of chaos, it never goes into outright grim territory, and instead looks to add a smile to follow up every moments that it shocks the audience.
More than anything, the movie is meant to feel empowering. The film has a very feminist feel to it, with its two lead characters, Charlotte and Lizzie, being for the most part, very well-developed characters. While the circumstances behind their initial spark is a bit forced, and there are one or two moments where it’s questionable if they needed to go some of the lengths they go to in order to convey certain points, they still get plenty of moments to shine here. In today’s political climate that’s encouraging females to raise their voices in a male-dominated industry (and world), this is a story that feels timely as it portrays strong female characters.
Both Allison Williams and Logan Browning do great jobs bringing both characters to life. Williams, who is quickly becoming one of the newer faces of horror movies, continues her trend of defying expectations. In Get Out, she had just come off six years on the TV series Girls, and quickly showed audiences a totally different side of her, and in The Perfection she shows a side to her not seen in either Girls or Get Out. Her thought process can be complex, and at times obsessive, and while some of her decisions can be a bit absurd, she makes for an engaging character to watch.
Browning is by far the scene-stealer though. Her performance is totally electrifying, as she conveys a wide range of emotions. There are moments where she gives off a femme fatale vibe, and there are other moments where she’s at such a low that her emotional performance can be heartbreaking to watch. And then there are even other moments where she takes total control of the scene and has the look and feel of the next big action hero, complete with calm, cool attitude that can be a lot of fun to watch. While Lizzie isn’t as overly complex as Charlotte can be at times, Browning’s commanding performance makes any of her scenes some of the most fun to watch.
The Perfection is a movie that benefits the viewer by knowing as little about it as possible before watching it. It’s a movie that will totally divide audiences, thanks to some tricky subject matter, going in a few different directions and venturing into some pretty uncomfortable territory. Though it leads into a very satisfying resolution that nicely ties together all of its narrative twists and turns. Led by two great performances, this is a film that manages to be at times creepy, other times heartbreaking, and other times a lot of fun. One of the most unique releases of the year, The Perfection is a film audiences definitely will want to experience.
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