What I most enjoyed and loved about The Perfect 46 was after almost every scene I was left with a question in my mind about the ethics of scientific discovery. As a scientist, I was questioning my own work and pursuit of a new therapy for a debilitating autoimmune disease and the implications of my work. One of the main derivatives of the disease I study is an underlying genetic risk for the disease. There are specific genes that increase susceptibility for the disease in children and although, the subject of The Perfect 46 borders eugenics, the concept of trying to eliminate genetic risk associated with disease does seem like an appealing therapeutic approach. A 'pseudo-dating' genetic screening site may not be the best answer however.From scene to scene I questioned what I would do in each of the conflicts Jesse Darden, the lead, would face- from a scientist and from a citizen perspective. This movie is important now, in this time of increasing advances in genetic sequencing. Ethical issues about what can and should be done with the accumulation of big data from large genetic sequencing studies needs to be addressed. The Perfect 46 thoroughly portrays how our technology is advancing faster than our understanding of its implications. From an artistic perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity and nod to retro artifacts in most of the locations in The Perfect 46. It was also interesting to see the character portrayal of a scientist as someone who became quite power and business driven. There are of course many of those types out there, as there are introverted academics that enjoy their quiet magnificent discoveries from behind the lab bench. The Perfect 46 is a well-written, well-directed film that integrates a highly technical scientific discovery in to a refreshing question answer dialogue driven by an unexpected scientist character. This film is a treat to watch and I highly recommend it if you're in to or want to learn more about the repercussions of advancing technologies like this new era of next generation sequencing.

This film had an interesting concept, but lacked all elements that make a film watchable. The dialogue alone made me want to pull my hair out. It takes question and answer dialogue to a whole new meaningless level. The lead actor had no connection to anything and was excruciating to watch. The ending was so anticlimactic and predictable, but also confusing and cliché'. I'm confused as to what the director was trying to say with this film. There wasn't any address to why the main character wanted this so badly. If he wanted to just help people, why did he charge money for the service? Did he hate having OCD so much that he created this formula? And why was the OCD never mentioned? I was counting down the minutes for this boring, pointless film to just end.

The Perfect 46The Perfect 46 follows in a recent trend in science fiction, that is more interested in exploring the potential of human experience than actually depicting that future through CGI and fancy sets. The Perfect 46 offers new slant on this trend though; whereas the work of Shane Carruth, Gareth Edwards and Duncan Jones focuses on ordinary people dealing with future concepts. The Perfect 46 looks at the experience of the person who has invented the new 'thing' and who has to take responsibility for it when it fails. That person is Jesse Darden, creator of theperfect46.com: a website service which takes the genome sequence of you and your partner and tells you the likelihood of any future child inheriting a life altering condition. The film is an interesting mix of stories than depict Jesse's life in various different ways. Snapshots of his personal life and the business' development are contrasted with a tense and slightly sinister break-in at Jesse's home and the discovery, by one of the burglars, of a TV-style documentary about the company and Jesse (which does well to provide all the contextual information and science-fictionally elements of the plot). In combining these elements the film is able to convey a lot of information whilst still having the space to explore the impact of theperfect46.com in a more naturalistic way. The central example being an extended dinner party scene, where the guests challenge Jesse on his ideals and a technology conference where Jesse spells out his idealistic view of theperfect46.com.These aspects of the film are so unusual and well conceived that it is almost disappointing that the film takes a more emotional turn in the ending, revealing the motivation of one of the burglars is connected to a very personal experience. The Perfect 46 is a remarkably brave film that deals with the difficult topic of eugenics, calls into question the responsibility of the dotcom tycoons who have a significant affect on everyday lives and doing so without grandstanding special effects but with a naturalistic and intricate script and an outstanding central performance by Whit Hertford.

Written and directed by Brett Ryan Bonowicz, The Perfect 46 charts the rise and fall of Jesse Darden, the creator of a website that assesses the genetic compatibility of would-be parents, and later develops into a glorified dating website. Whit Hertford's performance as Darden is one of the few things I can recommend about The Perfect 46. When Derden is on the up Hertford brings to the role a passionate intensity that is reminiscent of Steve Jobs and other wunderkind from the modern tech industry. Likewise, Hertford does a great job of conveying dark despair, with an element of obsessive-compulsive behaviour, once things start to go wrong for Darden. A turning point for Darden comes when his own product shows him to be sterile and his wife leaves him. Later, there are also company problems to be faced.Unfortunately, The Perfect 46 violates a couple of key principles of movie-making. Firstly, rather than letting action drive the plot and letting characters' behaviours reveal their thoughts and attitudes, large swathes of the film are given to interminable explanations and ethical discussions. If I wanted to have issues relating to genetic matchmaking explained to me, I would read a book or watch a documentary; in film fiction, however, extended explanation is frankly a bore. The Perfect 46 presents us with company executives giving explanations to news programmes, with executives expounding in the boardroom, and at one point there is even a dinner party at which characters bat the issues back and forth at great length. Part of the plot involves two hooded men breaking into Darden's country retreat, where one of them then engages in even more philosophical discussion with Darden.The second problem is the lack of any sympathetic character. Darden himself is the central figure in the film. Unfortunately, we are never given any reason to care about him. You might think that being diagnosed as sterile would give the viewer some reason to feel for Darden, but ironically he mostly behaves like a prick.In the final scene of the film, the reason for the intruders' break-in is made clear. Frustratingly, the dialogue at this point becomes quite intense and convincing. In one sense you could say the film ended on a high point, but on the other hand this last segment also hinted at how much better the rest of the film could have been.