PERFECT

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to say thank you to Beautiful Lady Productions and Director, Jeremiah Kipp (Slapface) for allowing me early access to an online screener of his 10 minute Horror/Thriller short “Perfect”, Written by Anthony Guilianti. Audrey (Ashley Tyler) is single, and rather than opting to wade through the pool of potential suitors, she decides to create the perfect man instead. The film also stars Logan Roberts, Lucas Rainey, and Cole Critchell.

I’ve been fortunate enough to review a couple of Kipp’s shorts over the years, one being the aforementioned “Slapface” *see review* https://adamthemoviegod.com/slapface-review/ and the other a nice little psychological drama called, “Pickup” https://adamthemoviegod.com/pickup-review-2/. It’s clear through the quality of Jeremiah’s work that he’s taking the time to learn all facets of the craft effectively. Perfect is presented in widescreen and DP, Christopher Bye’s polished camera work is on display from the outset. The framing is excellent, the audio is sharp, and the pacing of the short is well complemented by Katie Dillon’s edit. Perhaps one of the most creative and unique elements rests with Giovanni Spinelli’s haunting score, which is made up of various vocal work and harmony. There’s a tip of the hat to scores like “American Psycho” where plucky violin strokes parallel absurdist behavior. Tyler (who is also credited for the story) is solid in the leading role, her character of Audrey very much a goal orientated woman – even if those goals prove to be unhealthy ones (haha). The film showcases some solid practical fx makeup and isn’t without a couple of gorier moments that’ll certainly please genre fans.

The issues with Perfect are minimal. Continuity-wise the only thing I noticed was the delineation of clear rubber tubing (used for blood spray) attached on a characters neck in one particular shot. In the final stages of the film, the audience becomes fully aware of a particular move Audrey makes in order to drive the plot forward, but the aftermath is a brief sequence of quick cuts of repeated footage only re-establishing what we already know (it’s in a drinking scene). As for the woman herself, it would’ve been nice to have had a little more context supporting her motivations. Perhaps something in the dialogue or even a visual cue or two depicting a toll that’s been taken due to previous failed relationships or things to do with men. Perfect might not quite live up to it’s name, but it’s a damn fine short film – and perhaps Kipp’s best yet. The technical aspects are all superb, I loved the fresh musical score, and Guilianti manages to avoid the usual route taken in films of the body horror persuasion. I think Perfect is set to do the festival rounds but be sure to keep an eye out for this one very soon!

Perfect – 8/10