Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: PERFECT [SXSW Film - Austin Texas]
The trajectory of "Perfect" [Visions] lies within lost goals and intentions, specifically of the characters who seemingly live in a bubble that sometimes doesn't let itself move. It is a story of jealousy where one makes sense but the reasoning loses grasp. Granted this could be simply a metaphor for "The Lady Of The Lake" scenario which is applicable in mythological and metaphorical terms but works more on a base level in that it never quite accomplishes anything. Kai (Ashley Moore) is lost and aimless in her junky car, going across seemingly nowhere and getting nowhere. She stops to try to find some water (she has a water card?) and proceeds to sit by a lake with a contamination sign boldly facing itself and falls asleep. She awakes and finds her car with his tires slashed, windows broken and pretty much totaled. She has nowhere to stay. And then Mallory (Julia Fox) comes along (fully pregnant or likely good prosthetics) and invites her to her home. They had met earlier in the store and while hot, Mallory just has a weird vibe: too nice, too attached.
The reality as it unfolds seems like Mallory is just bored and yet from another angle, there is no consequence for her actions. She is just enjoying a steamy tryst with a younger woman while pregnant. However we never get any indication of the aspect of the pregnancy, why it happened or what state she is actually is in. Kai is more of a free spirit but is seemingly searching for her identity. The gang in Breakwater seem set in their ways. The question is what does she want? The narrative angles that she goes with the flow until it doesn't go her way. She falls in love sure but she likely had an indication that it was a "flash in the pan" (or her ego got in the way). We get a slightly better sense towards the end but it is not enough. Kai is jealous but almost overly so. Moore overplays it but that might just be the immaturity of the character. Fox plays it right but there is not much for her to do. Most of it takes place for her at a cabin or by a lake. The issue is that the narrative unless there was a twist underneath is a little blase and besides the sex scenes there is not much to go on. Kai's friendship with the gay gas station attendant is the only thing that is authentic and even that feels a little aimless. "Perfect" wants to be a mediation on contentment but it doesn't show much below the surface even though something might have been lurking. C-
By Tim Wassberg
