A Perfect Ending
Rebecca has a very unusual secret, one that not even her best friends know about. The last person on earth she expects to reveal it to is a high priced escort named Paris. What starts as a comedy of errors ends up a uniquely erotic journey. Rebecca's unconventional efforts to find herself are raw, evocative, and often times humorous, but always very real, very human. Sometimes a perfect ending is not what you expect it to be.
Produced on a extremely modest budget of $175K, the film represents a independent production.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
A Perfect Ending (2012) showcases precise narrative architecture, characteristic of Nicole Conn's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 50 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Rebecca Westridge
Paris
Roxy
Christy
Roger Westridge
Main Cast & Characters
Rebecca Westridge
Played by Barbara Niven
A wealthy married businesswoman who hires an escort to explore her suppressed sexuality and discovers unexpected love.
Paris
Played by Jessica Clark
A professional high-end escort who helps Rebecca discover her true self and falls in love with her in the process.
Roxy
Played by Morgan Fairchild
Rebecca's best friend and confidante who encourages her to explore her desires and seek happiness.
Christy
Played by Kerry Knuppe
Rebecca's daughter who is planning her wedding and navigating her relationship with her mother.
Roger Westridge
Played by John Heard
Rebecca's husband, a successful businessman who is emotionally distant and unaware of his wife's inner turmoil.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Rebecca appears to have the perfect life: wealthy husband, beautiful home, successful children. She attends upscale social events and maintains the facade of an ideal Beverly Hills housewife.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Rebecca's friend Paris reveals she uses a high-end escort service to fulfill her needs and suggests Rebecca do the same. Paris gives her the contact information, presenting a solution to Rebecca's unfulfilled desires.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Rebecca makes the call and books an appointment with the escort service. She actively chooses to step outside her conventional life and explore her authentic sexuality, requesting a woman named Paris (the escort)., moving from reaction to action.
At 55 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Rebecca and Paris have moved beyond the professional arrangement into genuine romantic feelings. They share deeply personal conversations, and Rebecca realizes she's falling in love. This raises the stakes from sexual exploration to emotional transformation., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 83 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Paris ends their arrangement, maintaining it was only business and cannot continue. Rebecca is devastated, having opened her heart only to be rejected. Her secret world collapses, and she must return to her conventional life without resolution or the woman she loves., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 88 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Rebecca decides to be honest about who she is. She tells her husband the truth about her sexuality and her feelings for Paris. She chooses authenticity over comfort, willing to lose everything she has built to live as her true self., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
A Perfect Ending's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping A Perfect Ending against these established plot points, we can identify how Nicole Conn utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish A Perfect Ending within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Rebecca appears to have the perfect life: wealthy husband, beautiful home, successful children. She attends upscale social events and maintains the facade of an ideal Beverly Hills housewife.
Theme
Rebecca's therapist suggests that true fulfillment requires honest self-exploration and the courage to acknowledge one's authentic desires, even when they conflict with societal expectations.
Worldbuilding
We see Rebecca's hollow existence: sexless marriage, superficial friendships, grown children who have moved on. Despite material wealth, she feels emotionally disconnected and unfulfilled. Her therapy sessions reveal deep dissatisfaction and suppressed desires.
Disruption
Rebecca's friend Paris reveals she uses a high-end escort service to fulfill her needs and suggests Rebecca do the same. Paris gives her the contact information, presenting a solution to Rebecca's unfulfilled desires.
Resistance
Rebecca debates whether to contact the escort service. She struggles with guilt, fear of discovery, and internalized shame about her desires for women. She researches the service, picks up the phone multiple times, wrestling with the decision.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Rebecca makes the call and books an appointment with the escort service. She actively chooses to step outside her conventional life and explore her authentic sexuality, requesting a woman named Paris (the escort).
Mirror World
Rebecca meets Paris the escort, who turns out to be a different woman than her friend. This is actually Jessica Clark, a compassionate and authentic young woman who will become Rebecca's guide to self-discovery and genuine connection.
Premise
Rebecca and Paris (Jessica) begin their paid encounters. What starts as physical exploration evolves into emotional intimacy. Rebecca experiences pleasure, vulnerability, and authenticity for the first time in years. She books multiple sessions, finding freedom in this secret world.
Midpoint
Rebecca and Paris have moved beyond the professional arrangement into genuine romantic feelings. They share deeply personal conversations, and Rebecca realizes she's falling in love. This raises the stakes from sexual exploration to emotional transformation.
Opposition
The complications intensify: Rebecca's husband grows suspicious, her guilt increases, and the professional boundaries of the escort relationship create painful limitations. Paris maintains professional distance to protect herself, which devastates Rebecca who wants a real relationship.
Collapse
Paris ends their arrangement, maintaining it was only business and cannot continue. Rebecca is devastated, having opened her heart only to be rejected. Her secret world collapses, and she must return to her conventional life without resolution or the woman she loves.
Crisis
Rebecca spirals into despair. She cannot return to her old life pretending nothing happened, but she has lost Paris. She confronts the painful truth that she has been living a lie for decades and must now decide who she really is and what life she wants.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Rebecca decides to be honest about who she is. She tells her husband the truth about her sexuality and her feelings for Paris. She chooses authenticity over comfort, willing to lose everything she has built to live as her true self.
Synthesis
Rebecca separates from her husband and rebuilds her life on authentic terms. She finds Paris again and reveals her transformation - she is now free to pursue a real relationship. Paris reveals she also has feelings for Rebecca but needed Rebecca to choose this life freely.
Transformation
Rebecca and Paris begin a genuine relationship as equals, both free and authentic. Rebecca has transformed from a woman living a lie to someone courageously embracing her true identity, choosing love and authenticity over social convention and material comfort.