Perfect delivers post-apocalyptic sizzling romance, but avoids the sci-fi/horror bite it needed. A beautiful but anti-climactic trip.
As a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, I’m usually the first person in line for a collapsed society story. That is what I was hoping to get with Perfect, but it was ultimately a disappointment. In a world where the water supply is contaminated, we meet Kai, a lost soul living out of her car after a breakup, navigating the wasteland. The film establishes high “don’t drink the water” stakes early on, but I found it frustrating how quickly it breezes over the mechanics of this broken world to get to the romance.
The cast is truly the film’s backbone and the best part of the film. Ashley Moore is great as Kai. As the audience, we are going on this journey with her. As she starts to uncover more secrets, we do too. Moore plays this brilliantly, and I was so thankful to see this character get mad when she needed to, rather than let things slide off her back.
Then there’s Mallory. Julia Fox brings something intriguing to the role of a pregnant woman living out an escapist fantasy in the middle of nowhere. I really dug the romance between her and Kai; the chemistry is palpable right from the start. However, even the romance felt like it was on fast-forward. It moved so quickly that I didn’t get to savor the build-up, leaving me wanting more depth to their connection before the secrets started coming out.
My real disappointment, though, lies in the third act of Perfect. With the world in ruins, I was practically begging the story to swerve into hard sci-fi or even psychological horror. There’s a version of this movie that explores the “why” of the water or the “how” of this lake that would have been mind-blowing. Instead, the film retreats into a standard drama. While the final moments make sense for the characters, they felt incredibly anticlimactic. After being so invested in the survival stakes, the ending felt like a shrug.
The performances are great across the board – Ashley Moore and Julia Fox carry the emotional weight well – but the film ultimately feels like it’s missing its second half. It builds a fascinating world and then decides to just skim the surface. Perfect is a beautifully shot film with great heart, but it lacks the grit and genre-payoff that its post-apocalyptic premise promised.
About Perfect
In a world devastated by a contaminated water supply, Kai, a lost soul, finds herself living out of her car after a bad breakup. Each day is a struggle until fate intervenes and leads her to a hidden utopian lake, where the water is pure and life flourishes.
At this secret haven, Kai encounters a band of eccentric misfits each with their own stories of loss and hope. Among them is Mallory, an enigmatic and wealthy pregnant woman living out an escapist fantasy. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, Kai and Mallory are drawn to each other, and a sudden, passionate romance ignites. As their bond deepens, Kai begins to uncover the layers of Mallory’s life and the secrets she harbors.
Perfect played at SXSW 2026.
