Product Details

• Actors: Sam Neill, Rachael Blake, Joel Tobeck, Robyn Malcolm, Madeleine Sami
• Directors: Gaylene Preston
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: First Look Pictures
• DVD Release Date: June 22, 2004
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001US7BS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,926 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Perfect Strangers" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

When Melanie goes home from the pub with the best looking man in the room, she’s captivated by his charm and attentiveness. He sails her away to his ‘castle’ – a rundown shack on a deserted island. But as his passion becomes obsession and romance turns to rage, Melanie realizes that she has been kidnapped. Torn between fear and desire, Melanie must escape her schizophrenic suitor. A moment of panic leads to murder and madness. Melanie’s time is running out, but for her perfect stranger, it may already be too late.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real Cast Away !, November 6, 2005

By 

Tim C (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfect Strangers (DVD)

Don't listen to those giving it a one *. Try to watch this movie on a big screen TV in a dark room with a decent sound system. I guarantee you will be lost for 2 hours. Visuals are just stunning! You won't see visuals like this in your typical run of the mill Hollywood flick. And don't worry about the plot, its complexity , or lack thereof..you will be totally immersed in this movie. There are critics who think there have to be twists and turns in the plot, propane tanks exploding, cars jumping off bridges, and other things to make a movie watchable. Pay no attention to them. Just go and watch, you won't be disappointed.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance for the Anti-Romantic, December 7, 2004

By 

Tempest183 (lost in the South) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Perfect Strangers (DVD)

I agree with the reviewers who pronouce this movie "bizarre" and "surreal". My response is, "And is that a problem?" At first this film masquerades as a thriller, but while you enjoy, watch closely. Perfect Strangers pivots seamlessly into a completely different and strikingly original film. Set against archetypal images of the sea and the epic-scale landscape of western New Zealand, this is a two character film, built on one man and one woman's mental images of the ideal romantic partner. The film defies categorization -- part black comedy, part romance, part thriller, part psychological study, with a tad of social commentary on the side. If you like your thrillers straight up and your film genres clean and neat, then just skip this film. It will infuriate you.

Rachel Blakely is terrific. Her performance makes her richly simple character accessible to all of us on the outside looking in and feeling a little like voyeurs in the process. And Sam Neill, ah........, Sam Neill. He makes 50s look incredibly sexy without any effort at all. His expressive face drives whole sections of the narrative and his nuanced performance is, in a word, great. Pardon me while I hyperventilate.

If you like the movie, then check out Gaylene Preston's director's commentary on the DVD. You'll like the film even more. Fine soundtrack too.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky to the max, April 8, 2007

By 

old mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfect Strangers (DVD)

I saw this movie on Air New Zealand last summer and it still haunts me. Sometimes you are so tired on that flight you are not sure if you are dreaming or if it is the movie, but if I remember right, it has beautiful scenery and strange characters doing odd things. Love conquers all, right, even death in this case. A must see if you like odd little character films with a dash of thriller.