There's so much wrong with this movie.. I felt so icky afterwards I wanted to take a shower and cleanse my mind with another viewing of Booksmart (2019), but it was already too late and I had to go to sleep.
A couple of thoughts:
- I actually liked the beginning, because I thought this was going to be some sort of stalker story (which it kind of is, I guess) and I wanted to figure out Charlotte's (Allison Williams) motive - jealousy seemed to be too simple.
- Lizzie (Logan Browning) basically "traded" one abuser for another? Anton (Steven Weber) gains her trust, manipulates her mind, then violates her body and calls it a gift, because that's the only way to reach "The Perfection". Charlotte gains her trust, manipulates her mind, then violates her body and calls it salvation, because that's the only way to see the truth - which we then should accept as female empowerment?
- On one hand (no pun intended, seriously) the writers and producers of this film seem to have lived in a bubble for the past couple of years when it comes to the #MeToo movement and such, because this is a rape revenge massacre at its most exploitative.
- On the other hand I wonder if they drew inspiration from some of the most prominent sexual abuse cases that have become public in recent years. The tattoo? Reminded me about this NXIVM sex-cult who branded their victims. The institutionalized sexual abuse of talented girls? Reminded me about those hundreds of female USA Gymnastics athletes, who were abused by their trusted physician. The assault was so subtle and full of plausible deniability that the victims weren't even sure whether they were actually abused. In the movie the abuse is portrayed as some sort of gross religious ritual, with the victims sitting on a stage, strapped to a chair - which we should accept has been going on under the radar for decades?
- But it has a mixed-raced lesbian couple who not only survives but is also making out and the two actresses were even part of the editing process of the sex scene (I guess to make sure it isn't too male-gazey?), so :fist: to progress, or whatever.
I honestly would have profited from some trigger warnings before watching this, so be aware of the following content: Bugs, delusional parasitosis, vomit, suicide, amputation, ableism, paedophilia, child sexual abuse, (threat of) rape and gore in general.
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2019-06-05T17:07:22Z
As soon as I saw the reports that multiple people had complained to Netflix that this film had made them physically sick due to its graphic content I knew I would be doing myself a disservice as a horror fan by not checking it out. As normal these reports seem to have been largely exaggerated, this happens all the time as a new horror film is said to have gone ‘over the line’ and disturbed audiences for the actual film to be pretty standard in its themes and content. The Perfection is destined to be seen alongside the original Saw and Hostel in that general audiences seem to have gotten the image of something truly horrific and disgusting when in reality the gore is used sparingly as a way to enhance the dark subject matter.
This film has so many twists in it that the final act feels as if you are watching a completely different movie. After a while I personally think that it bites of more than it can chew by trying to tackle a very serious subject matter despite still being a fairly goofy horror film. The first half is absolutely brilliant and I was honestly ready to call it a best of the year contender until the twists started to drag the film down a little. At first when the plot begins to unravel and things are shown to not be how they first seemed it feels fresh and interesting but after a while it gets in the way of the storytelling and I felt less and less invested in the plot despite the fact that the themes were getting darker and more serious.
Allison Williams is absolutely remarkable in this film. There is a sequence towards the middle of the film where she really gets to shine proving that between this and Get Out she has the potential to be the best thing to happen to horror since Anya Taylor-Joy. Logan Browning is also great in this movie and I hope that she is able to use this as a stepping stone to better things.
This film was clearly a big risk. The experimental presentation pays of greatly in some areas and can get in the way in others. I will always support new and interesting steps forward in the horror genre and even if I don’t think this is as good as it maybe could have been I still recommend checking it out if you are looking for a good new horror. It is absolutely not as graphic or disturbing as the internet will have you believe but it is worth watching.