On paper, Mea seems like a self-assured character with an enviable job, capable of handling tough legal scenarios. However, Perry’s treatment of Mea as the film progresses feels arbitrary and dramatic for no satisfying reason. Mea is established as a level-headed attorney, but immediately ends up making amateurish, law-breaking blunders that defy logic, and puts up with behavior that feels ramped up to non-negotiable extremes. There are familial dynamics that are exaggerated for dramatic effect, but these aspects are so lacking in depth that they barely allow us to understand Mea or her worldview better, or deepen our understanding of the world she inhabits.
Note: Spoilers for “Mea Culpa” ahead.
The film’s climactic twist simply doesn’t work, but in terms of thematic value, it touches upon ideas of ambition and envy, where the perpetrator turns out to be someone close to her all along. The nature of these motivations is also pretty convoluted, as revenge and career aspirations come together to form a nonsensical plan to frame an innocent, with a murderous confrontation to round things up in the end. Perry executes these twists with extreme seriousness, and he spoke to Tudum about his process of crafting these narrative curveballs within the erotic thriller framework:
“This is a ‘watch it again’…Every time you watch it you’ll see that I drop little Easter eggs all along the way so that if you watch it back, you’d say, ‘Oh, that’s why’…The characters, the way they show up in my head, they show up as real people telling me stories…And I’m looking at what they’re saying and listening to their motivations. And it all leads me to wherever the twist is supposed to happen.”
“Mea Culpa” is currently streaming on Netflix.