A Perfect Enemy

During a layover in Paris, a famous architect named Jeremiasz Angust meets a talkative young woman who says her name is Texel Textor and asks for a ride. He agrees, but after dropping her at the airport, he misses his flight and remains in the lounge with a nagging sense that something has started to tilt. Texel reappears and claims she has a story to tell, and what begins as a peculiar chat grows increasingly strange and unsettling. The dialogue tightens into a psychological trap as the seemingly casual tale begins to echo back on Jeremiasz, forcing questions about truth, desire, and who is really steering the conversation. The risk grows as the night wears on. As the chat grows, Jeremiasz's own insecurities resurface, reminding him of past failures and his obsession with control and reputation.

Directed by Kike Maíllo, A Perfect Enemy adapts Amélie Nothomb's ideas with Cristina Clemente and Fernando Navarro writing the screenplay. It premiered in 2021 and stars Tomasz Kot, Athena Strates, Marta Nieto and Dominique Pinon.

Box office data for A Perfect Enemy is not widely reported, suggesting a limited theatrical release and modest earnings. Its attention largely comes from festival screenings and streaming discussions rather than blockbuster numbers, a pattern seen with many European auteur dramas.

Critics describe it as a tense dialogue driven piece that probes control, perception and the ethics of storytelling. The film traps its protagonist with a verbal game, leaving viewers weighing who profits from the uncertainty and what truth really means. Its claustrophobic setup and exchanges invite debates about authorial power.

Cultural impact remains modest as the film circulates mostly among festival audiences and niche streaming viewers worldwide. It has yet to yield widely cited lines or scenes, though some watchers note its sharp conversational structure and the way it challenges traditional storytelling.