# A Perfect Ending
*A Perfect Ending* is a 2012 American romantic drama written, directed, and edited by Nicole Conn, starring [Barbara Niven](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbara-niven) as Rebecca Westridge, a married socialite who reveals a lifelong secret to a high-priced escort named Paris, played by [Jessica Clark](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-clark-actress).[1](https://watch.afi.com/movie/a-perfect-ending) • [9](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/aperfectending) The cast also includes John Heard as Rebecca's husband Mason and [Morgan Fairchild](https://www.edgepedia.org/morgan-fairchild) as Valentina, the madam who arranges the meeting.[1](https://watch.afi.com/movie/a-perfect-ending)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer / editor | Nicole Conn[1](https://watch.afi.com/movie/a-perfect-ending) |
| Lead cast | Barbara Niven (Rebecca Westridge), Jessica Clark (Paris), John Heard (Mason Westridge), Morgan Fairchild (Valentina)[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-perfect-ending) |
| Genre / country | Drama, Romance, LGBTQ+; United States, English[4](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-c4260b92-f48b-4051-a350-c1344c4ea264) |
| Release | World premiere at Frameline36, 2012; US theatrical release June 2012; DVD February 5, 2013[9](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/aperfectending) • [10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_perfect_ending_2012) • [7](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-perfect-ending/10085167/where-to-watch/) |
| Runtime | 110 minutes on most listings; the press kit gives 106 minutes[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823059/) • [13](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/img/epk/Press_Kit_A_Perfect_Ending_050412a.pdf) |
| Budget | $175,000 (estimated)[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823059/) |
| Reception | IMDb 5.6/10 from about 5,500 votes; Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter 48–49%[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823059/) • [10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_perfect_ending_2012) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Rebecca Westridge is a wealthy wife and mother of three who, by the [British Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-film-institute)'s synopsis, has never achieved orgasm, a secret she has kept even from her closest friends.[3](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=perfect-ending) Persuaded by her lesbian friends, she hires an escort, Paris, and what begins as a comedy of errors becomes a love affair she did not expect.[1](https://watch.afi.com/movie/a-perfect-ending) • [4](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-c4260b92-f48b-4051-a350-c1344c4ea264) The production synopsis frames the story as Rebecca's journey "from perfect control to unbridled passion," asking "Without passion, what's the point?"[9](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/aperfectending)
## Production
**Nicole Conn** wrote, directed, and edited the film, her follow-up to *Elena Undone* (2010) and her first lesbian feature *Claire of the Moon* (1992).[1](https://watch.afi.com/movie/a-perfect-ending) • [14](https://archive.curvemag.com/s/curve-archive/item/417) She made the film through Soul Kiss Films, the company she formed with her then-partner Marina Rice Bader, who served as executive producer; Topher Miller and Janelle Eagle produced.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_perfect_ending_2012) • [15](https://thenerdygirlexpress.com/2019/06/19/interview-with-nicole-conn-from-kleffnotes/) Tal Lazar was the director of photography, and Bob Fowler and Stephen Ridley composed the score.[13](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/img/epk/Press_Kit_A_Perfect_Ending_050412a.pdf)
The film premiered at Frameline36, the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, in 2012, and also played Outfest.[9](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/aperfectending) Rotten Tomatoes lists a limited theatrical release on June 21, 2012, while the [American Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-film-institute) and FlixPatrol give June 1, 2012.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_perfect_ending_2012) • [1](https://watch.afi.com/movie/a-perfect-ending) • [6](https://flixpatrol.com/title/a-perfect-ending/) Wolfe Video handled home video, and the DVD reached stores on February 5, 2013.[5](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/a-perfect-ending/umc.cmc.41a2ez6bwbktxq9kfdo0w039q) • [7](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-perfect-ending/10085167/where-to-watch/)
**Casting.** Barbara Niven, a television actress with more than 100 screen credits, took the role of Rebecca; in the press kit she describes reading the script and finding herself "hooked, surprised and sobbing."[13](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/img/epk/Press_Kit_A_Perfect_Ending_050412a.pdf) Jessica Clark, a British model and actress who had recently appeared as Lilith on HBO's *True Blood*, played Paris.[9](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/aperfectending) John Heard, known for the *Home Alone* films, played Rebecca's husband Mason.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_perfect_ending_2012)
## Reception and distribution
The film holds an IMDb rating of 5.6/10 from roughly 5,500 votes.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823059/) On Rotten Tomatoes the Popcornmeter audience score stood at 48 to 49 percent from more than 250 ratings, with no critic reviews tallied on the Tomatometer.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_perfect_ending_2012) Audience reactions in the visible reviews divide sharply: some viewers rank it among the better sapphic films they have seen, praising the lead performances, while others call it slow or melodramatic.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_perfect_ending_2012) Curve Magazine called it "The sexiest lesbian film of 2012," and Philadelphia Q Fest praised the "astonishing performances by the film's central leads."[11](https://store.wolfevideo.com/products/perfect-ending-a)
Distribution has been long-lived for a micro-budget feature. Conn stated in an interview that the film was licensed repeatedly by Netflix over roughly six years.[12](https://shoutoutla.com/meet-nicole-conn-writer-director/) As of late 2026 it streams on Hulu in the United States, free with ads on Fandango at Home Free and Plex, rents for $3.99 on Apple TV, and sells digitally from $9.99; it is not on Netflix, Prime Video, or Max in any tracked country.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-perfect-ending) • [7](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-perfect-ending/10085167/where-to-watch/)
## Place in Conn's career
Conn has described *A Perfect Ending* as her best work in two decades of filmmaking.[16](https://www.pride.com/box-office/filmmaker-nicole-conn-speaks-out-new-film-perfect-ending) In a 2019 interview she grouped it with *Elena Undone* as crucial to lesbian media, and noted that the two films together hold the record for the longest kiss in cinema history, a distinction belonging to *Elena Undone*.[15](https://thenerdygirlexpress.com/2019/06/19/interview-with-nicole-conn-from-kleffnotes/) Curve's profile of Conn credits *A Perfect Ending* with "some of the most powerful lesbian love scenes ever recorded on film."[14](https://archive.curvemag.com/s/curve-archive/item/417)
## References
1. [A Perfect Ending, American Film Institute](https://watch.afi.com/movie/a-perfect-ending)
2. [A Perfect Ending streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-perfect-ending)
3. [A Perfect Ending, BFI Southbank](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=perfect-ending)
4. [A Perfect Ending, Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-c4260b92-f48b-4051-a350-c1344c4ea264)
5. [A Perfect Ending, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/a-perfect-ending/umc.cmc.41a2ez6bwbktxq9kfdo0w039q)
6. [A Perfect Ending, FlixPatrol](https://flixpatrol.com/title/a-perfect-ending/)
7. [A Perfect Ending (2012): Where to Watch & Stream, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-perfect-ending/10085167/where-to-watch/)
8. [A Perfect Ending (2012), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823059/)
9. [A Perfect Ending, The Film Collaborative](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/aperfectending)
10. [A Perfect Ending (2012), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_perfect_ending_2012)
11. [Perfect Ending, A, Wolfe Video Store](https://store.wolfevideo.com/products/perfect-ending-a)
12. [Meet Nicole Conn, SHOUTOUT LA](https://shoutoutla.com/meet-nicole-conn-writer-director/)
13. [A Perfect Ending press kit, The Film Collaborative](https://thefilmcollaborative.org/films/img/epk/Press_Kit_A_Perfect_Ending_050412a.pdf)
14. [Curve Vol. 23 No. 01, January–February 2013, Curve Archive](https://archive.curvemag.com/s/curve-archive/item/417)
15. [Interview with Nicole Conn, The Nerdy Girl Express](https://thenerdygirlexpress.com/2019/06/19/interview-with-nicole-conn-from-kleffnotes/)
16. [Filmmaker Nicole Conn Speaks OUT, Pride.com](https://www.pride.com/box-office/filmmaker-nicole-conn-speaks-out-new-film-perfect-ending)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2011 to 2012 › Released in 2012*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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