PERFECT CRIME by Álex de la Iglesia
by Andre Soares
THE REVENGE OF THE UGLIES
Speaking to the audience at the American Film Institute screening of Crimen ferpecto / Ferpect Crime, director Álex de la Iglesia (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jorge Guerricaechevarría) explained that he was a "freak," and therefore could relate to the film’s twisted heroine — a wide-eyed, big-nosed salesgirl who wouldn’t remind anyone of Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield.
But that’s all the better, for Mónica Cervera, as the deceptively shy and insecure salesgirl who turns out to be a fiercely determined, sexually insatiable, all-seeing Medusa, is no cartoonish peroxide blonde. Whenever she’s on screen, Cervera, a Spanish-speaking Rosalind Russell with a (really sharp) edge, lifts Crimen ferpecto to the realm of classic comedy. When Cervera is not around, even though de la Iglesia has a few good tricks of his own — including an uproarious dinner table conversation involving a psychopathic little girl — this gritty satire on our perverted social and personal values is unable to sustain its comedic level.
Reviewed at the AFI FEST.
Synopsis:
The ambitious, suave Rafael (Guillermo Toledo) has two major goals in life: to bed every beautiful woman in sight and to become the head of the clothing department at one of Madrid’s major department stores. Everything seems to be going Rafael’s way — until he discovers that his chief rival, Don Antonio (Luis Varela), has been chosen as the new Emperor of the Floor. A heated confrontation between Rafael and his newly appointed boss leads to the latter’s accidental death. In a panic, Rafael instinctively tries to hide the body. He is unaware that someone has overheard the fatal argument.
That someone turns out to be Lourdes (Mónica Cervera) a shy, nail-biting salesgirl whom Rafael abhors because he finds her ugly. In the past, Lourdes would become an emotional wreck whenever she crossed paths with the sensuous Rafael, but now things are different. She quickly takes charge of the situation by gleefully getting rid of Don Antonio’s chopped-up body and by blackmailing Rafael — either he becomes her lover or . . .
Even though Rafael doesn’t have much of a choice, he soon realizes that he can’t cope with Lourdes, for she needs a perpetual sex machine to keep her satisfied. Besides, she follows his every move and has turned the clothing department into her own private fiefdom. Desperate, Rafael starts planning the perfect way to get rid of his overbearing accomplice.
Notes:
The title original title, Crimen ferpecto is explained when Guillermo Toledo’s Rafael, with murder in mind, goes to a video store and rents a movie called "Crimen perfecto." On his receipt, however, the title is misspelled as "Crimen ferpecto." Not a good omen, if you ask me.
Álex de la Iglesia has stated that the idea for the misspelled word "ferpect" was partly an homage to René Goscinny’s Asterix and the Laurel Wreath, in which Obelix gets drunk and repeatedly exclaims "ferpectly!"
The role of the salesgirl Lourdes was written with Mónica Cervera in mind. Álex de la Iglesia first saw her in the short film Hongos (1999), directed by Ramón Salazar.
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