[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”26286″ img_size=”800×450″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]
Synopsis:
Produced and scored by Flying Lotus and executive-produced by Steven Soderbergh, PERFECT introduces Garrett Wareing as an emotionally-troubled young man. His mother (Abbie Cornish) sends him to a clinic, where modernist serenity whispers soothing promises of perfection. By planting plug-and-play characteristics directly into his own body, he is relieved of his dark, twisted visions, but his body pays the price for purity of mind. A festival favorite from writer and director Eddie Alcazar — one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Film.
Have you ever put a toy in the microwave and watched it melt? Looks cool but ultimately made no sense as to why you did it. Well, Perfect now exclusively on the Breaker DApp (Desktop App) is somewhere between that and sci-fi horror with a fantasy twist. Originally released on May 17, 2019, in the US after making its rounds in some film festivals. The official American release, I assume was only in select theaters. Written by Ted Kupper and directed by Eddie Alcazar, the film is ambitious and has something to say. Nevertheless, It struggles to hit the mark on what exactly it was trying to convey. However, with executive producer, Steven Soderbergh the film is visually amazing. Along with a trippy score by Flying Lotus, it’s a film you get sucked into despite being slightly confused. It’s Artfully Perplexing.
How to watch it:
It seems the only way to watch the movie is to download the Breaker DApp on your desktop or laptop and rent it or buy it. I had a promo code and watched it for free. There are many movies on the DApp to choose from but that’s for a different review.
Plot and pace:
The film, set in the future, follows a troubled young man that has just done something horrific but is bewildered by the events. He calls his mother and she reluctantly drops everything to take her son to a treatment facility. Beautiful men and women, meditating, lounging, and swimming fills the facility. The facility resembles a spa resort with its fancy rooms and pools. The main interactions the young man has is from an intercom telling him what he should be doing and a young lady he briefly meets. While there, he is supposed to be evolving, evolving that requires genetic manipulation. However, the evolution isn’t going as planned and his journey spirals into euphoric animalistic splendor. There’s voiceover by a man named Dr. Price throughout the film. It seems to be the stream of consciousness of the doctor trying to figure out why we do the things we do and how he can fix it. There seem to be multiple messages in the film but none demand complete attention. The pace of the film is rather fixed, neither fast nor slow. This film dictates its pace on you get lost in its cinematography, spacey score, and wonderment.
Characters/Acting:
The young man who we find out during the credits is named Vessel-13 and is played by Garrett Wareing. While it’s not a solo movie, Wareing gets the majority of the screentime. He does an amazing job translating somewhat convoluted writing onto the screen. It also stars Tao Okamoto, Maurice Compte, Courtney Eaton, and Abbie Cornish.
Despite anything negative I said, it’s worth a watch. You may see something I didn’t see and if you do let me know.
Rating:
3 out of 5
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Senior Critic. Observing the human race since 1988.
