When troubled musical prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams) seeks out Elizabeth (Logan Browning), the new star pupil of her former school, the encounter sends both musicians down a sinister path with shocking consequences.
The Perfection is going to be a polarizing film due to its rather unconventional structure. This 90-minute flick is split into four distinct chapters; something that gives an indie vibe to this horror thriller. What sets this film apart from the usual stock of Netflix films is its interesting choice in narrative structure, making significant use of rewinds and flashbacks. While intrinsically a unique direction to take a horror film, it can have a detrimental effect on the audience's enjoyment of the film. Disruption to the linear narrative as well as the use of chapters leads to a loss of tension and an inconsistent tone.
But there is definitely a lot of originality in the script. The premise is an intriguing twist on a commonly used trope, but the writers don't stop there and have instead developed the backstories of their main characters in a series of succession which leads to the events of the third and fourth chapter. While there are certainly little hints here and there that something is aloof, it is actually quite difficult to predict the direction that the film will go, as they leave multiple options open at all times.
This is done quite successfully, thanks to the simple notion of not explaining the characters' motivations, instead, leaving it up to the audience to try and figure it out before the chapter ends and the big reveal occurs.
The acting too is superb. Allison Williams carries a very similar vibe to her earlier work in Jordan Peele's Get Out, with an astonishingly gorgeous look, that still leaves you feeling unnerved. Co-star Logan Browning also puts on an immensely strong performance, making the first chapter an absolute thrill to watch. The performances combined with some great cinematography and an emotive musical score makes for an incredibly passionate opening.
The film is filled with points of difference that could be considered along the lines of "damned if you do, damned if you don't", where following the usual formula is accepted but ultimately bland, yet challenging the formula is different but also inconsistent. The chapters allow the film to be split into four main events, but it has the downside of having these points in the film where the story feels almost complete; as if the film was coming to an end. This adds a feeling of length to the film, and you really don't want people constantly checking to see how much longer the film has to go.
What I really want to talk about is the grooming in the film, but it is such an integral part of the latter end of the film, that I can't for fear of spoilers. It makes the story significantly darker and allows the film to have much more gore.
In reality, all of the ingredients are there for a great horror thriller; some great actresses, a complex plot that keeps you guessing, a surprising amount of gore and violence, some fascinating engaging cinematography and colour palettes, and a striking score with some related diegetic music. However, it is the structure that will determine whether you love the film or not. I'd prefer the reveals to occur all at the end, rather than providing several "rewind" moments, because we the audience are not idiots.