Available on ITUNES and AMAZON INSTANT VIDEO
Directed byDavid Mackenzie
Starring Eva Green and Ewan McGregor
Runtime 92 min. - Unrated -R level content
3.5 Stars (out of 4)
If you haven't heard of Eva Green then you've been missing out on someone special. Green is a former stage actress who made a huge impact in her film debut. She landed that role in "The Dreamers" by impressing legendary director Bernardo Bertolucci. The film was rated NC-17 and most scenes required Eva to be nude. Many seasoned actresses would be uncomfortable with so much nudity but Green's confidence is evident every second she's on screen.. That performance has lead to plenty of success, including roles in "The Womb", "Camelot", "Kingdom of Heaven", "Franklyn" and "Casino Royale". So if you haven't already, seek out the work of Eva Green.
"Perfect Sense" is a steamy romance that works under the veil of apocalyptic science-fiction. The film starts like any good romance with our main characters longing for something more, until a chance encounter brings them together. Then an event takes place which takes the safari far off the beaten path. It starts with a few people breaking down in tears. They seem to experience every tragedy and every regret of their lives simultaneously. When they finally come back to their senses, they have lost their sense of smell. Soon the malady spreads to every person on the planet.
This event is especially important to the lives of our lead characters, but in two completely different ways. Susan (Green) is an epidemiologist. She's on the front lines looking for any contagion that may have caused the condition. Michael (McGregor) is a chef for a restaurant that happens to be right next to Susan's apartment. Without aroma food becomes bland. To combat this, Michael and his coworkers work on new recipes that are drenched with flavor. They make everying thing saltier, sweeter, spicier or more sour.
The restaurant is a microcosm of civilization and the director uses it as a surrogate for society. When people adapt to their new odorless lives, they begin to frequent the restaurant again.
Smell was just the first sense to go. There are no pulled punches here. The writers take their story to completion even if that means there's no resolution for the audience. Without specifics, I can say the ending is both frightening and beautiful. It's been about a week since I saw the movie and I'm still contemplating the ending. It's that sort of thought-provocation that drives my love of cinema.
"Perfect Sense" doesn't lack in its science-fiction elements. All the normal cinematic representations of the apocalypse are present. There are overturned burning cars in the street and litter blowing around like tumbleweed. There are also plenty of people looting because apparently televisions are of high worth in the end times.
There is a trick used for portraying global panic that probably stems from budget constraints, but is still quite effective. It consists of large amounts of cleverly edited stock footage. Much of it has probably appeared on CNN at some point. Instead of hiring a voice actor there is actual audio used of Barack Obama. He's probably talking about some other global issue but the quote fits perfectly in to the plot.
With lesser actors this film may have been mediocre. McGregor and Green are world-class talents and prove it with their performances. The film was well-received by critics and audience at the Sundance Film Festival but failed to gain a distributor. This sometimes happens with independent films that take a chance. Distributors like their plots to be packaged with a pretty bow and this one doesn't fit that bill. Fortunately, Hollywood's loss is the public's gain. Films that lack distributors turn to video-on-demand services like Vudu, Itunes, and Amazon. That means you don't have to plan a theater trip to see this great film because you can watch it instantly and for far less money. I suggest you do that right now.
"Perfect Sense" is a steamy romance that works under the veil of apocalyptic science-fiction. The film starts like any good romance with our main characters longing for something more, until a chance encounter brings them together. Then an event takes place which takes the safari far off the beaten path. It starts with a few people breaking down in tears. They seem to experience every tragedy and every regret of their lives simultaneously. When they finally come back to their senses, they have lost their sense of smell. Soon the malady spreads to every person on the planet.
This event is especially important to the lives of our lead characters, but in two completely different ways. Susan (Green) is an epidemiologist. She's on the front lines looking for any contagion that may have caused the condition. Michael (McGregor) is a chef for a restaurant that happens to be right next to Susan's apartment. Without aroma food becomes bland. To combat this, Michael and his coworkers work on new recipes that are drenched with flavor. They make everying thing saltier, sweeter, spicier or more sour.
The restaurant is a microcosm of civilization and the director uses it as a surrogate for society. When people adapt to their new odorless lives, they begin to frequent the restaurant again.
Smell was just the first sense to go. There are no pulled punches here. The writers take their story to completion even if that means there's no resolution for the audience. Without specifics, I can say the ending is both frightening and beautiful. It's been about a week since I saw the movie and I'm still contemplating the ending. It's that sort of thought-provocation that drives my love of cinema.
"Perfect Sense" doesn't lack in its science-fiction elements. All the normal cinematic representations of the apocalypse are present. There are overturned burning cars in the street and litter blowing around like tumbleweed. There are also plenty of people looting because apparently televisions are of high worth in the end times.
There is a trick used for portraying global panic that probably stems from budget constraints, but is still quite effective. It consists of large amounts of cleverly edited stock footage. Much of it has probably appeared on CNN at some point. Instead of hiring a voice actor there is actual audio used of Barack Obama. He's probably talking about some other global issue but the quote fits perfectly in to the plot.
With lesser actors this film may have been mediocre. McGregor and Green are world-class talents and prove it with their performances. The film was well-received by critics and audience at the Sundance Film Festival but failed to gain a distributor. This sometimes happens with independent films that take a chance. Distributors like their plots to be packaged with a pretty bow and this one doesn't fit that bill. Fortunately, Hollywood's loss is the public's gain. Films that lack distributors turn to video-on-demand services like Vudu, Itunes, and Amazon. That means you don't have to plan a theater trip to see this great film because you can watch it instantly and for far less money. I suggest you do that right now.
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