A troubled young gymnast experiences the ups and down of adolescence in Eva Riley tender debut feature.
Scottish writer/director Eva Riley brings passion and heart to this wholesome coming-of-age drama. Set on the outskirts of Brighton, Perfect 10 is a film about the female experience, capturing the complicated emotional and physical stages of pubescence through a fresh and endearing lens.
Gymnast Leigh (newcomer Frankie Box) is anxious and adrift, cast as the “odd-one-out” among the well-liked and well-dressed girls in her local gymnastics club. Wearing a leotard that is both old and worn during her training, she quickly finds solace from the cruel insults and abuse thrown at her in a world which takes place entirely in her head.
Spending her days and nights by herself, walking the empty streets with only music and her thoughts for company, Leigh is identified as a daydreamer who is out of touch with the people around her. She practices her acrobatic moves alone, and is shown yearning for her classmates’ affluence. Poverty-stricken, with a distant mother and a father with whom she barely has a relationship to speak of, Leigh starts to express a short temper towards her coach that is in part a response to the lack of recognition she receives from everybody.
It is Leigh’s half-brother, Joe (Alfie Deegan), who eventually breaks through her barrier, slowly but surely implanting himself into her life. Meeting for the first time through an unwelcome dispute, Joe’s paternal presence brings Leigh a sense of freedom and confidence that she desperately needs.
Whether it’s the pair’s involvement with underground crime – stealing motorcycles, petrol and petty cash – or the emotional and humorous bond that’s formed to protect them from their absent parents, the film foregrounds the close kinship of two siblings trying to find themselves and each other.
Despite being a little rough around the edges in places, Riley’s tale of young dreams and desires makes for a memorable debut. Built around a combination of pop music and Terence Dunn’s score, which feel like a stepping stone into Leigh’s world of gymnastics, this is a mature exploration of the hardships of youth that speaks from the heart.
Published 5 Aug 2020
Frankie Box and Alfie Deegan are emerging talents.
A fresh and endearing coming-of-age film that has an empowering feel.
A memorable debut.
Natalia Dyer plays a Catholic girl who experiences a profound sexual awakening in Karen Maine’s smart religious satire.
By Anton Bitel
A Cornish caravan park provides the backdrop to a young woman’s sexual (re)awakening in Claire Oakley’s impressive debut.
By Liz Seabrook
Kelly O’Sullivan writes and stars in this sensitive and timely survey of contemporary womanhood.
Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.
