The Perfect Husband

Domestic violence meets torture-porn in Italian filmmaker Lucas Pavetto's 2014 thriller, which generates slow-building dread before wallowing in mutilation and bloody savagery filmed in close-up. After a traumatic miscarriage, young wife Viola (Gabriella Wright) accompanies husband Nicola (Bret Roberts) on what is supposed to be a healing, romantic country getaway. Suddenly, however, Nicola erupts in a fit of jealousy, cuffs Viola to a bed, and starts brutalizing her in a harrowing spiral of real-life Punch and Judy. But little hints around the edges—medication not taken, etc.—clue the viewer in that what is being shown is not precisely accurate. Even with the twist, however, The Perfect Husband remains an unpleasant film that is full of nasty, morbid carnage. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include director Lucas Pavetto's 2011 short “Il Marito Perfecto” (40 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (26 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an ugly film.] (C. Cassady)