Review of The Perfection

By Dave B. 

In The Perfection (Netflix) Charlotte, a cello prodigy, is forced to leave her elite training school when her mother becomes ill. Ten years later, following her mother’s death, Charlotte reconnects with the headmaster of the school and meets the prodigy who replaced her: the world-renowned Elizabeth Wells. Charlotte and Elizabeth immediately hit it off and decide to go on a cross-China trip together. But all is not as it seems, and Charlotte has an agenda that Elizabeth doesn’t suspect. 

​The Perfection is one of those movies that you’ll “enjoy” a lot more if you go into it without knowing too much about it. Fortunately, this is a spoiler-free review, so no worries on that front. That said, I have to admit, The Perfection really surprised me. I had no idea where it was headed or where it would end up. In and of itself, that’s a refreshing feeling considering how much predictable quasi-garbage is made into movies these days. The Perfection mixes an interesting story with good performances, some appealing scenery, and touch of startling imagery. 

I don’t have much negative to say about the movie beyond the fact that I found it’s use of rewinding as a plot revealing device to be pretty lame. It’s definitely the thing I liked least about The Perfection, largely because I find its use to be lazy and it breaks up the narrative flow of the film. Also, at 90 minutes in length, there are times when The Perfection feels a bit rushed. That’s not to say that it doesn’t feel like a complete film, because it does. But a little bit more character development for some of the secondary and tertiary characters would have been interesting. 

​Overall, I enjoyed The Perfection, but it’s definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Hardcore horror fans won’t bat an eyelash at the level of violence in the film, but those who typically watch other types of movies may be grossed out at some parts. It’s also fair to say that The Perfection is more solid in most ways than excellent in any. That’s not a intended as a harsh criticism, but reasonable expectations are warranted with this movie. That said, I definitely recommend it. It’s short enough and interesting enough to hold almost anyone’s attention and if you enjoy unexpected journeys that have unexpected endings you should give The Perfection some of your time. 

Rating: 7/10