Julia Fox and Ashley Moore’s Erotic SXSW Romance ‘Perfect’ Turns Up the Heat With FKA Twigs Soundtrack
SXSW
Millicent Hailes’ provocative debut mixes desert dystopia, queer romance and unapologetic sexuality in one of SXSW’s most talked-about premieres.
One of the buzziest premieres at this year’s South by Southwest came with a warning from its star before the lights even dimmed. “Leave horny, people! Leave horny,” actor Ashley Moore told the crowd gathered at Austin’s State Theatre for the world premiere of Perfect, a steamy new romance co-starring Julia Fox.
Directed by music video filmmaker Millicent Hailes in her narrative debut, Perfect immediately announced itself as one of the festival’s most provocative entries. The film blends queer romance, dystopian undertones and unabashed eroticism into a story that unfolds in a desert town grappling with a global shortage of clean water.
Moore plays Kai, a drifter stranded in the isolated community who becomes entangled with the mysterious Mallory, portrayed by Fox. Mallory, who is pregnant when the two meet, quickly becomes the center of Kai’s attention as their connection develops into a volatile and sensual relationship. The film leans heavily into its charged atmosphere, presenting a romance that is equal parts seductive, chaotic and emotionally raw.
Speaking to the audience following the premiere, Fox praised Moore’s breakout performance. “A star is born,” she told the crowd, introducing her co-star during the Q&A session. For Moore, the role marks her first major lead performance on screen, placing her at the center of a film that rarely shies away from pushing boundaries.
Hailes, who previously directed music videos for artists including Lil Yachty and Young Thug, described the project as intentionally provocative and visceral. “It’s just fun,” the director said at the screening. “It’s just hot, sexy, sweaty fun.” That ethos carries throughout the film, which mixes stylized imagery with moments designed to provoke strong reactions from viewers.
POPULAR ON THE CINEMA GROUP
The premiere itself embraced that spirit. Before the film began, Hailes encouraged the audience to respond openly to what they were seeing on screen. Cheers erupted during key romantic moments, including a lake scene between Kai and Mallory set to music by FKA Twigs. The artist’s song “Eusexua” underscores one of the film’s central sequences, adding a hypnotic pulse to the story’s most intimate moments.
“I really wanted some pivotal, poignant scenes to live in those songs,” Hailes explained during the Q&A, noting how the music helped shape the emotional and sensual tone of the film.
While the film’s narrative unfolds against a slightly dystopian backdrop — a world facing an escalating water crisis — its focus remains firmly on the volatile relationship between its two leads. As Kai and Mallory’s romance intensifies, the story veers between desire, obsession and emotional vulnerability.
The cast also includes Lío Mehiel, Micaela Wittman, Ryder McLaughlin, Kate Moennig and Creed Bratton.
Currently screening as a sales title at SXSW, Perfect has already begun attracting attention from potential buyers. Hailes joked that she’s sending “cigarette smoke signals” into the industry air hoping to lure distributors.
Whether the film ultimately finds a wide audience remains to be seen, but its premiere left little doubt about its ambitions. Perfect arrives at SXSW not as a quiet indie romance but as a bold, unapologetically provocative entry determined to spark conversation — and judging by the reaction at its debut, it already has.
| FEATURES | INTERVIEWS | REVIEWS | The Catalogue | TRENDING | TRAILERS | VIDEOS |
