On HBO (in Russia — on the online service “Amediateka”) released a satirical drama Cory Finley “Perfect” (Bad Education), based on the true story of the largest theft of cash in the history of American schooling that occurred in the early 2000s. the Role of the main person involved in this scandal, very far from usual for Hugh Jackman superhero roles, has become one of the best in the career of the actor, says Julia Siegelman.The superintendent of the Roslyn school district on long island Frank Casson (Hugh Jackman) — prominent figure in local society. Thanks to Roslyn high school is ranked fourth among the best in the country, and its graduates are gladly accepted to ivy League universities. The better the school — the more prestigious the area where they are located, the prestigious district — the higher housing prices, so the local realtors, of which for the most part is the school Board of Trustees, ready to wear Frank’s hands, without objection, to unfasten a tidy sum in his undertakings, and forgive them little weaknesses like love for expensive suits and cars. But Tucson not just an effective Manager and an attractive face of the educational system. He really cares about the students and their parents, remembers them all by name, each devotes as much personal attention as is required, solve problems, resolve conflicts, encourages, soothes, and inspires. Colleagues love him, children admire, respect parents, and some single moms even show clear interest, but all their advances Frank gently rejects: it preserves the memory of the deceased wife, whose portrait keeps on the desktop.What we’re not used to, it’s the fact that the Director tried to convince a high school student who came to him for review for the school paper, not to write a standard note about how all the students in unison, happy about the new bridge, which will cost $7.5 million, and to make this a serious, high-quality material. Who would have thought that a young journalist, Rachel (Geraldine Viswanathan) will be Frank Tassone his Woodward and Bernstine: it will get to that all these years, a good portion of the school budget is settled in the pockets of the distinguished superintendent, so as a result the district lost $11 million”Perfect” do indeed inherits the tradition of films-investigations — from “All the President’s men” (1976) to “the focus” (2015) and more fresh “torture Report” (2019). Of course, the local scale is much more modest: it is not about the fate of the country, but just something about the school district, and sensational revelation appears on the pages of the New York Times or Washington Post, a student newspaper. Fateful encounters do not occur in Parking lots, the FBI, and on the benches in the schoolm the yard, the documents with the schemes and the amounts of illegal shenanigans are in plain sight, you just want them to read, and the beginning of the end becomes a coincidence so idiotic that it is hard to believe. From Director Cory Finley and screenwriter Mike Makowski, who himself studied at Rosline during these events and was a witness to them, by no means escapes the irony of this situation, therefore, places the “perfect” becomes almost a Comedy, it’s just such a Comedy, the finals of which human destiny fall truly and seriously.Hugh Jackman, who played Tassone with full dedication and without trying to embellish or justify his actions, creates a convincing portrait of a man caught in their own lies. Corruption, as the disruption is not only in the system but in the head, personal secrets turn into a professional, fine line between “be” and “seem” erased completely, and now Frank doesn’t recognize herself in the mirror. Of course, it is unlikely that his fate may teach something new, but there are lessons that are not harmful and repeat.
