SHORT FILM REVIEW
SHE'S PERFECT
After his wife's death, a mentally unstable man is determined to find true love once again.
IF THERE'S ONE thing that the Dexter series taught us, it’s that the symbolism in food in relevance to the Horror genre at large not only exists but can make us extremely squeamish. In this short film called “She’s Perfect,” directed by Sheldon Maddux, you’ll see this kind of creepy imagery onscreen if you’re paying close attention to the intro before you even see the title pop up. I’m pretty much always in the mood for something on the scary side of the spectrum – it doesn’t need to be anywhere near Halloween for me, personally…I guess I just enjoy digging six feet down into the darker side of movies & TV Shows.
HE GIVES US THE CLUES WE REALLY NEED TO FIGURE OUT THIS MYSTERY...
So you bet – I was stoked to check out “She’s Perfect” and see how gritty this concept could become within such a short timeframe. I thought the playfulness/sweetness of the piano melody at the core of the soundtrack added that slight hint of maniacal malevolence to what we see in the film, especially when you witness scenes like the placing of a hacked-off ear upon a counter cut quickly to the main character of Jack (Eric Hanson) asking someone about how big their own ears are in a broad daylight conversation over lunch. Which is delightfully strange when you think about it – I have absolutely no idea what I’d even say to someone that asked me how big my ears are, though I suspect that I’d be a whole lot more wary and cautious about how I’d choose to answer that question now after watching “She’s Perfect,” and I’m sure you’ll likely feel the same after having a watch of this film for yourselves.
It wouldn’t be too long after that scene in the restaurant that I felt like I was able to piece together where this short film was going to take us for its gore-ious conclusion. I really thought the way that Maddux was able to signal what was coming was really cleverly done, actually – he gives us the clues we need to figure out this mystery just a single step ahead of how it all plays out, and I personally love that. While we’re still never completely sure it’ll be what we think it is until the final reveal, I like to believe that Sheldon put all the pieces of the puzzle right in front of us in a way that dares the viewer to come to the grim conclusions this short film will finish on. It’s smart filmmaking when it comes right down to it. 
IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE FORCED TO RECKON WITH LOSING THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE IN YOUR OWN LIFE...
Ultimately, I felt like “She’s Perfect” examines what happens in the aftermath of a real snap in the psyche & separation from the reality someone once knew. We follow Jack from the beginning, and we see what was genuinely important to him in his life and how special his relationship was at the start of the film. As to how it progresses from there, I’ll let your minds fill in some blanks for the time being until you see it for yourself, but imagine that you’re forced to reckon with losing that special someone in your own life. There’s no doubt that it could be the most intense hardship you’ll ever experience – and you just never know…you could end up becoming like Jack in this story yourself if you’re not truly careful.
... VERY WELL BALANCED WITH RESPECT TO WHAT SHELDON CHOOSES TO SHOW US...
“She’s Perfect” is probably more about the extreme lengths we’ll go to in order to recapture what we love than it is anything else – and that can be absolutely as beautiful as it is horrific in terms of concept.
While it’s always tough to establish a ton within such a short timeframe, Sheldon manages to introduce enough scenes & characters to lead us directly into the darkness he wants to create with “She’s Perfect.” I felt like Eric did a stellar job playing Jack, and I’d give the man some bonus points for being even creepier when he’s in his happiest & most exuberant moments onscreen, which is really when this film becomes even scarier. It’s almost like you can imagine Jack could be your uncle, or that neighbor you see every day before you go to work, or anyone else that seems…normal…until we find out the real truth one day. What I really liked about “She’s Perfect” more than anything else was that it was very well balanced with respect to what Sheldon chooses to show us – yes, it’s horrifying, and there’s no way anyone could miss that – but at the same time, you can’t help appreciating the underlying theme of love that adds a completely dark dimension of spectacular beauty to the core of this short film. I’m giving this a well-earned three stars out of five – “She’s Perfect” could probably use more time to expand its concept, but for the time we get with it, nothing is left out, and anything else we would need is readily supplied by our imagination running wild thanks to the clever direction of Maddux & his warped mind. Jeremy Gladstone DROP A COMMENT, RATE THE MOVIE, OR SHARE?
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