A Perfect Ending

I anxiously awaited this movie's release on DVD as those who had seen it at Sundance gave it such good to great reviews. Unfortunately, however, after having seen it for myself now, I do not share the earlier reviewers' glowing opinions. The premise of the movie is really good and I could tell it could have been a very good movie. I felt it took too many "meetings" before the main character stopped running out and the awkwardness to fade. Both main actresses are attractive and are suited to their characters, but the escort seemed to be trying too hard to be mysterious and alluring. First,her lower voice and slow speaking cadence was sexy and intriguing, but then you notice she speaks that way through the entire movie. It rendered the "sexy" a little "unsexy" and kind of annoying after a while. You don't see enough of the two women together to understand the 'relationship' that supposedly develops between them. I was left feeling like too much of the story must have been left on the editing room floor and was replaced by the film-maker's attempt at artsy and meaningful up-close vignettes of inanimate objects or a characters struggles. I am disappointed in this movie. I had such high hopes.

The reviews for this movie seem to come in two flavours: folk gushing over it, calling it beautiful and brilliantly made and artistic and so on, or people dismissing it as a pretentious and hamfisted attempt at an arty movie that falls short of its ambitions.

I just had to come down in the middle. The film is filled with attempts at art-house style directional and cinematic choices that most certainly tread a fine line on taste and quality, and the plot is - I think unapologetically - pure melodrama.

But that said, it does that melodrama really darn well. The music swells, our heroes bite back their tears and tamp down their emotions until the dam bursts, and you're right there with them when it does. Initially neither protagonist is terribly likable, but then, neither woman is who they're supposed to be, and we get to see them open up as the story is told.

Initially I'd perhaps agree that there's a shortage of romantic chemistry between the two female leads, but then one could argue that since their initial encounters are driven by anxiety, how could there be? It just makes the thaw and the bond that does develop (I'm sure that doesn't count as a spoiler in an obviously romantic movie, does it?) all the more satisfying. The layers of their relationship unfurl over time, and that's the way these things happen sometimes.

And as unreasonably beautiful and perfect the 'call girl' character is in this, the fact she shares the same amount of (or less) exposed flesh on camera with a 59 year old woman is not to be dismissed. This matters. Would that more mainstream, less niche movies could be so brave. And good on Barbara Niven for going for it.

Finally, there's not a dud performance in the piece. This is important when what lets so many lesbian movies down is the acting quality and production values. Both are high here, even for the bit players. The weakest actor is probably the inexperienced Jessica Clark as Paris, whose vocal delivery is a tad one note and initially comes across as a little clichéd, but what she lacks in vocal performance she more than makes up in raw charisma, and she gets across the combination of poise and vulnerability the character needs admirably.

Anyway I dunno, I didn't really mean to go on forever here and I don't generally do reviews. I just popped my head round the door here to see what other folk had thought, and seeing the conflicting trends among the reviewers, I felt the need to buck 'em!

There's too much denigration of straight (lol) down the line romantic melodrama, to my mind, particularly for LGBT folks. Our culture at large tends to devalue and dismiss it as frivolous and trashy and while I don't want to get into a rant about patriarchy or toxic masculinity, well... I'm just sayin', if you need this kind of story in your life, THAT IS OKAY, I'm with you, and you might find what you're looking for here.

I found a Perfect Ending to be a powerful examination of the question posed to any of us when we receive a terminal diagnosis, or we are left crippled after an accident. Each of us reacts differently when we learn that our lives are foreshortened, when we discover we may never achieve those goals we had dreamed about.

A Perfect Ending is the story of how one woman reacts when she has a devastating prognosis. The way she sets about to achieve one very deep desire, and all the consequences of her actions form the main plot of this film.

It is the story of two women, wounded deeply by events in their own lives who are healed by the passionate love they experience for one another. The love scenes are so perfectly shot that there is never an element of voyeurism, instead they become the essence of gentle reaching out we have all known in our relationships. As a person living with a terminal illness myself, this film had me both weeping and laughing at different times at the manner in which this story is played out. Thank you Nicole.

This is not a "must see" film. It is also not a "piece of crap". Obviously, this film is somewhat polarizing to produce the disparate reviews it has received here. And just as obviously, some of the people who watched this film have an anti-gay bias that makes one wonder "why the hell were they watching this film?"

There are aspects of the film that I liked. And many I did not. I do not want to be too dismissive of "A Perfect Ending" because I feel the writer/director invested a lot of care in this film and tried to produce a beautiful product.

Many of the things I found off-putting were intentional. For example, the editing that was sometimes choppy. The music that, in places, was designed to create an air of the mysterious and sacred. These are artistic choices that sometimes did not work for me. Often, they took me outside the film, especially since the pace was slow. The pace itself could have been brisker in parts.

Also, Jessica Clark (who plays the escort Paris) spoke with such a slow, deliberate pace it was distracting. It reminds me of Nichole Kidman in "Eyes Wide Shut", but Ms. Kidman's character was under the influence when she spoke that way.

Lastly, I found the sexual politics of the film annoying. Often they are inserted where it does not serve the story.

All in all, this is an average film by a filmmaker who could probably produce a much better product.

First off let me start by saying that I am not a writer, so please forgive my poor attempt at a review. As I patiently sat waiting for the screening of A Perfect Ending, I thought to myself, this is going to be a great movie. I did not expect to see a movie that would awaken all of my emotions and touch my soul. Nicole Conn takes you on an emotional journey that makes you laugh, cry and want to jump up applaud and scream YES!!!! Barbara Niven and Jessica Clark were perfectly cast for this movie. Their chemistry on camera is off the charts, blond and beautiful and dark and exotic. Nicole Conn and Marina Rice-Bader hit the nail on the head when they picked these two women for their lead roles. This film is a must see for both women and men, so if you have a chance to see it at a festival near you please attend and let your soul be nourished.