{ "id": "eppwpaqmvr", "slug": "el-crimen-perfecto", "title": "El Crimen Perfecto", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.black-comedy-and-satire-films", "label": "Black comedy and satire films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.black-comedy-and-satire-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.black-comedy-and-satire-films.yr-1998-2024", "label": "Released 1998 to 2024", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.black-comedy-and-satire-films.yr-1998-2024" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Western Europe · 2001 to 2020: Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001", "label": "Western Europe · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" } ] } ], "excerpt": "El Crimen Perfecto, released as Crimen ferpecto and internationally as Ferpect Crime, is a 2004 Spanish-Italian black comedy directed by Álex de la Iglesia about department-store salesmen.", "snippet": "El Crimen Perfecto, released as Crimen ferpecto and internationally as Ferpect Crime, is a 2004 Spanish-Italian black comedy directed by Álex de la Iglesia about department-store salesmen.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.black-comedy-and-satire-films.yr-1998-2024", "markdown": "# El Crimen Perfecto\n\n**El Crimen Perfecto** (released in Spain as *Crimen ferpecto*, internationally as *Ferpect Crime*) is a 2004 Spanish-Italian black comedy directed by Álex de la Iglesia, about an ambitious department-store salesman who accidentally kills his rival and is blackmailed by the only witness into marriage. It opened in Spain on 22 October 2004 and earned €4,250,837.14 at the Spanish box office on 860,710 admissions.[1](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=129303) • [2](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | *Crimen ferpecto*, a deliberate misspelling of *crimen perfecto*; international title *Ferpect Crime*[2](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml) • [3](https://cineuropa.org/es/film/47550/) |\n| Release | Spain, 22 October 2004; rated not recommended for audiences under 18[1](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=129303) |\n| Director and writers | Álex de la Iglesia; screenplay by de la Iglesia and Jorge Guerricaechevarría[3](https://cineuropa.org/es/film/47550/) |\n| Lead cast | Guillermo Toledo (Rafael), Mónica Cervera (Lourdes), Luis Varela (Don Antonio), Enrique Villén (Inspector Campoy)[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/el-crimen-perfecto-the-perfect-crime/credits/) |\n| Spanish box office | €4,250,837.14 from 860,710 admissions[1](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=129303) |\n| Goya nominations | Six, including best actor, supporting actor, and new actress; the film won none[2](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml) |\n| Production | Sogecine (45%), Panico Films (45%), Planet Pictures (10%); shot 17 November 2003 to 11 February 2004[5](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/Caratulas/129303/58/P129303.pdf) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nRafael (Guillermo Toledo) is a seductive, arrogant salesman who has turned the women's section of a Madrid department store into his personal domain and wants to be promoted to floor manager. His rival is the veteran Don Antonio (Luis Varela) of the men's section. A heated argument between the two ends with Don Antonio dead, and the only witness is Lourdes (Mónica Cervera), a homely, obsessive shop assistant.[1](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=129303) • [2](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml)\n\nLourdes blackmails Rafael with her silence, making him her lover, her slave, and finally her husband. Rafael watches his sophisticated world degenerate into vulgarity, cannot bear the situation, and plans his own \"perfect crime\" against her.[1](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=129303) • [2](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml) In the ending, five years later, Rafael appears with a changed appearance and identity and explains that everyone believes he is dead, so he has committed the perfect crime after all.[9](https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/14802b0a-3d7f-48c0-a797-f9ee2a90a5ad/download) The Independent Cinema Office described the film as \"a politically incorrect, darkly comic crime caper that mixes high fashion with gleefully gory criminal acts,\" in which Rafael's only escape from prison lies with Lourdes and a descent into mediocrity.[10](https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/films/crimen-ferpecto/)\n\n## Title\n\nThe misspelling is intentional. Álex de la Iglesia knew that the press would be tempted to correct the supposed error and went ahead anyway; the title is a homage to [Alfred Hitchcock](https://www.edgepedia.org/alfred-hitchcock)'s *Dial M for Murder* (1954) with [Grace Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/grace-kelly), the film released in Spain as *Crimen perfecto*.[2](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml) On screen the main title alternates between *Crimen Perfecto* and *Crimen Ferpecto*, signaling a comedy of errors; the DVD reviewer Glenn Erickson argued the English release title \"The Perfect Crime\" was too generic for the film.[6](https://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s1924crim.html) The title also causes confusion in catalogs: several unrelated films carry the Spanish title *El crimen perfecto*, including Hitchcock's *Dial M for Murder*, Andrew Davis's 1998 remake *A Perfect Murder* with [Michael Douglas](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-douglas) and Gwyneth Paltrow, and the 2007 American thriller *Slow Burn* with Ray Liotta.[7](https://cartelera.elpais.com/pelicula/crimen-perfecto/) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/el-crimen-perfecto/umc.cmc.roezjae9ance8o1hedxwk1rb?l=es)\n\n## Production\n\nThe shoot lasted ten weeks, from 17 November 2003 to 11 February 2004, taking place in Madrid, Sevilla, and Barcelona. Although all the action is set in the Spanish capital, much of the film was shot in Sevilla; the department store set proved difficult to secure.[2](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml) The production was a Spanish-Italian co-production financed by Sogecine and Panico Films at 45 percent each and Planet Pictures at 10 percent, with the participation of TVE, Canal+ España, and [EITB](https://www.edgepedia.org/eitb).[5](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/Caratulas/129303/58/P129303.pdf) SensaCine lists a budget of €3,750,000, shot on 35 mm in 2.35:1 with [Dolby Digital](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-digital) sound, distributed in Spain by Warner Bros Pictures España.[11](https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-59903/) The crew included composer Roque Baños, cinematographer José L. Moreno, and editor Alejandro Lázaro.[3](https://cineuropa.org/es/film/47550/) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/el-crimen-perfecto-the-perfect-crime/credits/)\n\n## Reception\n\nThe film performed well at the Spanish box office and, according to RTVE, beyond Spain as well; the outlet attributed its success to a well-established director, a distinctive cast, an engaging story, and a striking title.[2](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml) It received six Goya nominations, including best actor for Guillermo Toledo, best supporting actor for Luis Varela, and best new actress for Mónica Cervera, but left the ceremony without any awards.[2](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml)\n\nIn the United States the film screened at festivals in 2004 under its original title, *El crimen ferpecto*, and opened commercially in New York in September 2005 under the Spanish title *El crimen perfecto*, the same title under which it played at Houston's River Oaks Theatre from 23 September.[12](https://www.chron.com/news/article/filme-espa-ol-es-perfecto-en-ee-uu-1933345.php) Critics were broadly favorable: SensaCine's editorial review called it \"a nearly perfect black comedy\" with a screenplay that borders on the exemplary, and marked it as a turning point in de la Iglesia's career.[11](https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-59903/) The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film credited the \"brilliant comedic performances of the two leads\" for the farce's success.[13](https://chlotrudis.org/review/ferpect/) An academic study of black comedy in de la Iglesia's work reads the film's suspense as resting on a single question, whether Lourdes will denounce Rafael or not.[9](https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/14802b0a-3d7f-48c0-a797-f9ee2a90a5ad/download)\n\n## References\n\n1. [CRIMEN PERFECTO (Ferpect Crime), ICAA Film Database, file 129303](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=129303)\n2. [\"'Crimen ferpecto': la razón por la que Álex de la Iglesia eligió este título y más curiosidades\", RTVE, 11 August 2023](https://www.rtve.es/play/noticias/20230811/crimen-ferpecto-alex-iglesia-curiosidades/2453715.shtml)\n3. [Crimen ferpecto, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/es/film/47550/)\n4. [El Crimen Perfecto (The Perfect Crime) cast and crew, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/el-crimen-perfecto-the-perfect-crime/credits/)\n5. [CRIMEN FERPECTO production sheet, ICAA](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/Caratulas/129303/58/P129303.pdf)\n6. [DVD Savant Review: The Perfect Crime (2004), DVD Talk](https://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s1924crim.html)\n7. [Crimen perfecto, Cartelera de Cine EL PAÍS](https://cartelera.elpais.com/pelicula/crimen-perfecto/)\n8. [El Crimen Perfecto (Slow Burn), Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/el-crimen-perfecto/umc.cmc.roezjae9ance8o1hedxwk1rb?l=es)\n9. [Categorías representacionales de la comedia negra en tres películas de Álex de la Iglesia, Universidad de Sevilla](https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/14802b0a-3d7f-48c0-a797-f9ee2a90a5ad/download)\n10. [Crimen Ferpecto, Independent Cinema Office](https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/films/crimen-ferpecto/)\n11. [Crimen Ferpecto (2004), SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-59903/)\n12. [\"Filme español es perfecto en EE.UU.\", Houston Chronicle](https://www.chron.com/news/article/filme-espa-ol-es-perfecto-en-ee-uu-1933345.php)\n13. [Ferpect Crime review, Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film](https://chlotrudis.org/review/ferpect/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Black comedy and satire films › Released 1998 to 2024*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/el-crimen-perfecto", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/el-crimen-perfecto.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"El Crimen Perfecto\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/el-crimen-perfecto. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[El Crimen Perfecto](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-crimen-perfecto)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/el-crimen-perfecto](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-crimen-perfecto). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"El Crimen Perfecto\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/el-crimen-perfecto. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "El Crimen Perfecto, released as Crimen ferpecto and internationally as Ferpect Crime, is a 2004 Spanish-Italian black comedy directed by Álex de la Iglesia about department-store salesmen." }