[Film Review] A Perfect Enemy (2021)

Through gorgeous opening credits and a soaring score, Kiki Maíllo’s darkly compelling psychodrama A Perfect Enemy delves into the personal cost of the desire for perfection, and the dire consequence of obsession as compelled through the lure of attraction. Though at times predictable, the storytelling devices utilized in the film allow the viewer to learn and discover with the characters, keeping secrets hidden until the ultimate climactic moment.  

Jeremiasz (Tomasz Kot, Cold War) is a successful though somewhat bland architect lecturing on the importance of expanding the art of architecture beyond merely the richest 1% of society. He is still reeling from the disappearance of his wife twenty years prior, and in turn isolates himself from those who wish to know him, including his fans and his agent. When he is approached by a desperate, rain-soaked pixie dream girl named Texel Textor (Athena Strates) she asks for a ride to the airport and he acquiesces, inviting the unassuming woman into his life. 

Once at the airport, the two find themselves stranded together, and Texel proceeds to offer Jeremiasz a drink and a story about her life to pass the time. As she tells her story, Jeremiasz grows increasingly uncomfortable with the woman and what she tells him, but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t shake her or her demand for his attention. 

Texel is aggressive, manic, and off-putting; interesting characteristics for a woman in a film. Much of her behavior will remind the viewer of the most egregious male characters in a film; crude, loud, sexually deviant – all the things that society may label “boys being boys.” When these behavioral attributes are presented in the beautiful young Texel, her petite frame and cherubic face completely throw the viewer for a loop, forcing us to deal with the juxtaposition of what we feel a woman ‘should’ act like. Admittedly, this choice is the most pleasant surprise in what ultimately is a fairly cliché story. 

The impractical, almost unrealistic nature of the interaction between Jeremiasz and Texel becomes clearer as the story progresses, but the viewer can’t escape the feeling that much of what unfolds is too obvious to be shocking. The biggest flaws in the film come from the screenplay, as the twists and turns are written in a way that are too familiar to feel fresh. Despite this point, the performances from Kot and Strates are impressive. As Jeremiasz’s kindness turns to confusion, that confusion simmers to a contained rage, and as he contends with Texel’s persistent haranguing, Kot captures the type of pressure we all feel when confronted by a stranger who refuses to respect boundaries. 

The Perfect Enemy is beautifully shot and steeped in tension. What the film lacks in story it makes up for in style, but one can’t shake the feeling that an opportunity was missed by the choice to utilize an overused trope instead of creating something wholly new and unexpected.

RELATED ARTICLES

---

---

EXPLORE

---

MORE ARTICLES

---

---