Perfect is a 2018 documentary that follow the Canadian synchronised swimming team beyond the beauty, to the brawn it takes to be the best in the world.
Wait. Hold on. Yes, we’re talking professional synchronized swimming here but don’t be reaching for the back button yet. Turns out, you only think you know what the sport is about. Okay. Maybe that’s not entirely true. It’s a lot like what you think, with the participants themselves admitting that it is loaded with fodder for ridicule and dismissive attitudes, the wild costumes, overzealous facial expressions, and exaggerated gestures all gold mines for jokes. You watch it, you’re probably going to laugh. But … and here’s where Jérémie Battaglia‘s latest documentary spins it’s magic. By the time her film is over, you might still be laughing, but more likely it’ll be with a lot more inspiration and respect for what these women do.
Building up to the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, we meet potential members of the Canadian National Team, a large collection of young women from all kinds of backgrounds who have found a singular passion in sport: synchronized swimming. Led by Head Coach Meng Chen, they meet in Montreal and begin a grueling regime meant to thin the crowd to the most proficient, not only in the water, but emotionally and physically. It’s a process that looks for individual talent in a sport that demands precise conformity, which would seem like an obstacle for a team as diverse in culture and appearance as the women splashing about in the water are all kinds of sizes and ethnicity.
As Chen builds a team, the girls suffer numerous injuries, from scratches and bruises to broken bones and concussions to unbearable stress and eating disorders as they rehearse their heavily choreographed programs. All the while, we meet the new team in face-to-face interviews as they document their experiences, dealing with the same demands as the top athletes in the world, only underwater.
It’s hardly a probing documentary as Battaglia is completely detached from the film, leaving the girls and their efforts to speak for the movie rather than a more traditional interview style. Suspense comes from the training montages and the intermediate competitions that whittle down the group and see where they place in the world, Battaglia layering in a soft synth-string score to offer additional atmosphere. However, what works more effectively is the portrait of the women who emerge from this with great personality as they contend with crushing disappointment and incredible triumph.
In this respect, Battaglia uses the water in highly innovate ways, visually suggesting its power of both freedom and suppression as the girls lithely swim about its depths and along the surface. Some of this is quite moving as it draws us into their unique world. Sure, it’s sometimes limited by its often casual approach, with its use of selfie-like handheld angles and a few ruts where it finds itself stuck in some of the trappings of the sports spotlight movie, yet overall, this hits its marks far more that misses them.
Many might find themselves recalling the classic 1984 Saturday Night Live skit featuring Martin Short and Christopher Guest where the two poke a lot of fun at the sport, yet the great thing about that very funny bit of comedy is its message of hope and perseverance, something Perfect takes and runs with. Or better yet, swims with.