Screened as part of NZIFF 2020

Perfect 10 2019

Directed by Eva Riley Widescreen

Gymnastics, an unknown half-brother and a streak of petty crime set in motion a teenage girl’s coming-of-age in suburban Brighton in Eva Riley’s sensitive, spirited first feature film.

UK In English with English subtitles
84 minutes VOD with optional English subtitles

Director/Screenplay

Producers

Jacob Thomas
,
Valentina Brazzini
,
Bertrand Faivre

Photography

Steven Cameron Ferguson

Editor

Abolfazl Talooni

Production designer

Sarah Jenneson

Costume designer

Susie Coulthard

Music

Terence Dunn

With

Frankie Box (Leigh)
,
Alfie Deegan (Joe)
,
Sharlene Whyte (Gemma)
,
William Ash (Rob)
,
Billy Mogford (Reece)
,
Nicola Wright (Maxine)
,
Emily Gibson (Ella)
,
Leia Desseaux (Mae)
,
Jenna Goodwin (Melanie)

Festivals

London 2019

Elsewhere

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH

The Edge

The debut feature from Scottish writer/director Eva Riley, Perfect 10 is set in Brighton. But don’t expect fun at the pier: this is the outskirts. Following in the strong tradition of British social realism, the film is about Leigh, an aspiring teen gymnast who is up against it. As if the nasty bullies on her squad aren’t enough to deal with, Leigh is lonely and struggling to cope with a complicated home life. The fraught family dynamic is further destabilised by the arrival of a half-brother, Joe. Leigh didn’t know he even existed and soon he and his even older mates are partying in the lounge.

Haunted by absence, and driven by an unruly longing to belong, newcomer Frankie Box compels as Leigh. The camera stays close to her youthful, increasingly reckless, energy. Joe is involved in petty crime and she starts to tag along. Brother and sister’s growing sense of kinship is underpinned by something volatile and dangerous, much like the motorbikes they start to steal. Leigh is bound to fall (and does) but this is a narrative that takes some unexpected, affirming turns. Life might not be perfect, but Leigh gains confidence and balance and sticks the landing.

About the Filmmaker
Eva Riley is a Scottish director and screenwriter, based in Brighton. She graduated from the National Film and Television School in 2015, with her final year film Patriot premiering in competition at Cannes. Her short films have screened at festivals including London, Edinburgh and Telluride.