A Perfect Enemy (2020) || Not The Kind You Watch Passively

Here with another unsettling story, if you’re ever in the mood for something psychological and layered, this is the kind of slow-burning thriller that gets right under your skin. Although the ending kind of had me confused, I still liked it. After deciding to watch it, all I expected was a typical suspense film but it ended up being something far more cerebral and sinister. I’ll tell you this for free; this film isn’t the kind you watch passively. it demands your attention and of course you’re later rewarded with a disturbing yet fascinating unraveling of guilt, memory and identity.

Synopsis

The film unfolds after Jeremy Angust (played by Tomasz Kot), a successful architect on a business trip in Paris offers to give a young woman a ride to the airport after she had complained of being stranded and unable to get herself a taxi. Getting to the airport, they both miss their flight but the young woman Texel Textor(Athena Strates), wouldn’t let him go and rather strikes up a conversation. At first, Jeremy tries to politely disengage but Texel proves to be unusually persistent and increasingly invasive.

Texel begins telling Jeremy eerie stories that seem too personal, too connected to his own past to be coincidence.

Review and Rating

From the start, I knew Texel was up to no good especially with the kind of makeup she had on. I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover but trust me, some books really should be judged by their covers. I would never see someone with dark eyeshadows and offer them a lift. Safety first.

Well, one of the film’s strongest elements is its minimalistic setup. Most of the story takes place in the airport lounge, and it relies heavily on dialogue and atmosphere rather than flashy action or elaborate set pieces. But it works. The confined space mirrors the psychological claustrophobia that builds throughout the film.

Athena Strates is genuinely haunting as Texel. My very first impression of her. She’s cool and I absolutely admired how she delivered her monologues with an eerie mix of innocence and menace. I was never quite sure of what she was going to say next or if what she’s saying was even true. Tomasz Kot on the other hand plays Jeremy with stoic restraint, which made his gradual unraveling all the more impactful.

I absolutely enjoyed the storytelling structure. It is clever, with Texel recounting three increasingly disturbing tales that force Jeremy and I to piece together the underlying connection and I think it was at this point that I became confused, seeking for who the real villain was. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone so see it, and you’ll understand where my confusion stemmed from.

That said, this film is not for everyone. Its slow pace, heavy use of dialogue and abstract storytelling might not appeal to some people looking for conventional thrills. The psychological tension in this one builds gradually and the payoff is more introspective than explosive.

Trust me you are going to love it. It is a sleek, chilly psychological thriller that explores guilt and repression in a deeply unsettling way. It plays like a twisted conversation between your conscience and your past, asking what happens when the things you’ve tried to hide come knocking.

I also kinda like it because It’s not about big twists or chase scenes(not saying I don’t enjoy movies with these xteristics) it’s about slowly realizing that the enemy we fear most might be the one we’ve created ourselves.

Rating? 4/5

So therefore, if you enjoy character-driven mysteries with an eerie atmosphere and a slow, deliberate pace, A Perfect Enemy is worth the watch.

PS: Directed by: Kike Maillo