"Flawless to a Fault: Almost Perfect Cuts Deep"
What happens when the pursuit of perfection becomes a butcher’s game?
In Daniel Krastek’s razor-sharp short Almost Perfect, the mirror doesn’t just reflect—it distorts. Set in a hazy, Y2K-tinged liminal world that feels equal parts American Psycho and Jawbreaker, this visceral descent into sorority psychosis slices into the cult of beauty with a manicured, bloodied hand. It’s Mean Girls by way of Black Swan—if Regina George had a scalpel and something to prove.
The film centers on a sorority sister hell-bent—no, beauty-bent—on becoming the flawless image society has demanded of her. But how far will she go? And what, exactly, is perfect, anyway?
From the first synthy pulse of the score to the candy-coated costuming, the aesthetic is an absolute feast. The VFX and makeup work here are commendable in their grotesque glamor, creating an uncanny valley where flesh meets fantasy—and both come out bruised.
Pacing-wise, Krastek keeps a tight leash on tension. There’s no drag, no lull—only the rising hum of something terrible about to happen. And when it does, it’s not with a scream, but a snap. A flick of a mascara wand.
But for all its visual dazzle, Almost Perfect stumbles a bit in its sound design. Some audio peaks slice through like accidental razor blades—not the good kind. And while the overall writing serves the satire well, a few of the dialogue exchanges could use a snappier punch.
Still, there's a message beneath the glittered gore: beauty is not just skin deep—it's skin peeled. Underneath the satire, Almost Perfect serves a haunting commentary on the unreachable standards forced onto young women, especially those placed in gleaming towers of performative sisterhood. It’s Barbie in a blender, and you can’t look away.
Krastek, an aspiring filmmaker with a growing portfolio of surrealist horrors proves he’s got a sharp eye for mood, movement, and metaphor.
Almost Perfect might not be flawless, but in the best horror tradition, its imperfections are exactly what make it shine.
