Perfect (2018 film)

Perfect
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEddie Alcazar
Written byTed Kupper
Produced by
  • Eddie Alcazar
  • Javier Lovato
Starring
CinematographyMatthias Koenigswieser
Edited byGardner Gould
Music byFlying Lotus
Production
company
Release dates
  • March 11, 2018 (2018-03-11) (SWSW)
  • May 17, 2019 (2019-05-17) (United States)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Perfect is a 2018 American science fiction thriller film directed by Eddie Alcazar in his feature length debut and starring Garrett Wareing, Courtney Eaton, Tao Okamoto, Maurice Compte, and Abbie Cornish.[1] The film had its premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2018.[2] It was released in the United States on May 17, 2019.[3]

Plot

A young man finds the corpse of his murdered girlfriend lying in the bed next to him. Having received a call from him, his mother takes him to a genetic-engineering clinic, where the patients transform their bodies and minds.

Cast

Production

The film's working title was Puberty.[4] The project was unveiled by Brainfeeder Films at the 2016 American Film Market.[5] Part of the filming took place at the Sheats–Goldstein Residence in California.[6] Flying Lotus wrote the score for the film.[7]

Release

The film had its premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2018.[2] SingularDTV subsequently acquired the worldwide rights to the film.[8] It was released theatrically in the United States on May 17, 2019.[3] It was released through video on demand on Breaker on June 21, 2019.[9] In Scandinavia, the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Nonstop Entertainment in January 2020.[10]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 21% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 3.6/10.[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 36 out of 100, based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[12]

Peter Sobczynski of RogerEbert.com gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, writing, "Eddie Alcazar's movie is ambitious enough, but it's the work of a would-be visionary without any clear vision."[13] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "While some will embrace the shards as a Shane Carruth-like brain-teaser, the movie is ultimately too reflective of its genetically-engineered subjects — soulless under an entrancing veneer."[14] Amy Nicholson of Variety commented that Eddie Alcazar and Flying Lotus are "fixated on body horror, vanity, breaking good-taste boundaries, and blurring the lines between feature film, music video, and art installation."[15] Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine gave the film 1 out of 4 stars, writing, "Eddie Alcazar's Perfect is the sort of purposefully inscrutable, wandering, disconnected, symbolic, and highly precious mood bath that you'll either adore or loathe."[16] Jeff Ewing of Forbes called it "surreal and complex, with the natural beauty of the surroundings alternating with body horror and psychedelic interludes."[17]

References

  1. ^ Haring, Bruce (March 10, 2018). "Steven Soderbergh/Eddie Alcazar sci-fi film 'Perfect' Has First Look at SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Perkins, Rodney (March 9, 2018). "SXSW 2018 Trailer: Take a Sci-Fi Trip with Eddie Alcazar's PERFECT". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Blais-Billie, Braudie (April 10, 2019). "Flying Lotus Previews New Song in Perfect Film Clip: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  4. ^ Slingerland, Calum (February 2, 2018). "Flying Lotus Scores Eddie Alcazar's New 'Perfect' Film". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  5. ^ McNary, Dave (November 5, 2016). "Abbie Cornish, Dylan Gelula, Garrett Wareing Join 'Puberty' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  6. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 12, 2018). "'Perfect' Cast On A Rigorous Shoot At Los Angeles' Iconic Sheats-Goldstein Residence — SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  7. ^ Gottsegen, Will (April 10, 2019). "Flying Lotus Teases New Song in Perfect Film Clip". Spin. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  8. ^ Hayes, Dade (May 29, 2018). "SXSW Entry 'Perfect' Acquired By Blockchain Studio SingularDTV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  9. ^ Swope, Michelle (June 23, 2019). "Interview: Director Eddie Alcazar on Breathtaking Style and Grotesquely Fascinating Body Horror in PERFECT". Dread Central. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  10. ^ Perfect (Blu-ray). DVDCompare.net.
  11. ^ "Perfect (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  12. ^ "Perfect". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  13. ^ Sobczynski, Peter (May 17, 2019). "Perfect". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  14. ^ DeFore, John (March 14, 2018). "'Perfect': Film Review | SXSW 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  15. ^ Nicholson, Amy (March 14, 2018). "SXSW Film Review: 'Perfect'". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  16. ^ Bowen, Chuck (May 14, 2019). "Review: Perfect Is a Series of Lurid Pillow Shots in Search of a Soul". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  17. ^ Ewing, Jeff (December 20, 2018). "Blockchain Blockbusters: Breaker And The Promise Of A Blockchain Studio". Forbes. Retrieved May 12, 2019.