Directed and co-written by Kike Maíllo, A Perfect Enemy is a Spanish-German-French mystery psychological thriller and a hidden gem. Tomasz Kot and Athena Strates star in this small-budget thriller, which keeps the viewer guessing for most of its runtime. The plot revolves around a strange encounter between a successful architect and an enigmatic young woman.

Jeremiasz (Tomasz Kot) is a successful architect from Warsaw, visiting Paris. He is still coping with the absence of his wife, Isabelle, who disappeared twenty years earlier. At a conference, Jeremiasz delivers a compelling speech to a spellbound audience about his passion for architecture. He quotes Antoine de Saint-Exupéry:

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Afterward, he boards a taxi and heads to the airport to catch his flight home in the midst of a rainstorm. Out of nowhere, a young woman (Athena Strates) approaches him just as he is leaving and pleads for a ride to the airport. Much to the vexation of the taxi driver, Jeremiasz allows her to join him. The woman introduces herself as Texel Textor and claims she is from the Netherlands. After traveling some distance, Texel suddenly says she left her baggage behind and convinces Jeremiasz to go back and retrieve it. Once again, to the annoyance of the driver, Jeremiasz obliges.

At the airport, Jeremiasz realizes he has missed his flight and must wait a few hours for the next one. As he settles down and pulls out his iPad to read, Texel approaches him again and strikes up a conversation.

Though Jeremiasz makes it clear that she is irritating him, Texel persuades him to have dinner with her. She then insists that Jeremiasz listen to three of her stories from her past. Reluctantly, he agrees.

The first story is deeply disturbing and involves cruelty, revealing a remorseless side of her that unnerves Jeremiasz. The second story, however, reveals that Texel is suffering from guilt for a crime she didn’t commit.

Finally, the third story shocks Jeremiasz as it reveals a mysterious connection between Texel and himself. At this point, a shaken Jeremiasz realizes that this young woman knows far too much about his past. Numerous revelations follow, leading to an intriguing climax.

Even for experienced fans of thrillers who might piece together parts of the plot, the film’s climax is particularly unexpected, as the story takes a surprising turn. A Perfect Enemy is a must-see for fans of psychological thrillers or offbeat films.

Spoiler Alert (Well, sort of): I will end with my musings on the film.

A Perfect Enemy is a commentary on unbridled narcissism. The quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is one clue to the mystery. At one point in Texel’s third story, there is a mention of the “Stockholm Syndrome,” which serves as another clue.

Sometimes, narcissism can transform even decent humans into psychopaths in denial, consuming their humanity and erasing their ability to feel empathy for others.