Perfect Sense

{{About|the film|the unrelated song by Roger Waters|Perfect Sense (song)}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Perfect Sense

| image = Perfect Sense.jpg

| caption = UK theatrical poster

| director = David Mackenzie

| producer = {{plainlist|

}}

| writer = Kim Fupz Aakeson

| starring = {{plainlist|

}}

| music = Max Richter

| cinematography = Giles Nuttgens

| editing = Jake Roberts

| studio = TrustNordisk
BBC Films
Zentropa Entertainment
Scottish Screen
Danish Film Institute
Film i Väst
Irish Film Board
Sigma Films

| distributor = {{plainlist|

Arrow Films (United Kingdom)
Eclipse Pictures (Ireland){{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Perfect Sense (2011) |url=https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/6F7B4C2200341949 |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=Irish Film Classification Office |language=en}}

}}

| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2011|1|24|Sundance|2011|10|7|United Kingdom}}

| runtime = 92 minutes

| country = {{plainlist|

United Kingdom
Denmark
Sweden
Ireland

}}

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Perfect Sense is a 2011 science fiction romantic drama film directed by David Mackenzie, written by Kim Fupz Aakeson and starring Eva Green and Ewan McGregor.[http://www.premiere.fr/Cinema/Photos/Reportages/Eva-Green-et-Ewan-McGregor-sur-le-tournage-de-The-Last-Word/(gid)/2056382 Premiere.fr] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926054857/http://www.premiere.fr/Cinema/Photos/Reportages/Eva-Green-et-Ewan-McGregor-sur-le-tournage-de-The-Last-Word/%28gid%29/2056382 |date=26 September 2009 }} In the film, a chef (McGregor) and a scientist (Green) fall in love as an epidemic begins to rob people of their sensory perceptions.

Plot

An epidemic begins to spread throughout the globe, causing humankind to lose their sensory perceptions one by one. The story focuses on two people: Susan, one of a team of epidemiologists who are trying to find the causes of the disease, and Michael, a chef who works at a busy restaurant located next to Susan's flat. The two meet and get to know each other as the epidemic progresses, a relationship which soon turns to love.

Humans begin to lose their senses one at a time. Each loss is preceded by an outburst of an intense feeling or urge. First, people begin suffering uncontrollable bouts of crying and this is soon followed by the loss of their sense of smell. An outbreak of irrational panic and anxiety, closely followed by a bout of frenzied gluttony, precedes the loss of the sense of taste. The film depicts people trying to adapt to each loss and trying to carry on living as best they can, rediscovering their remaining senses as they do so. Michael and his co-workers do their best to cook food for people who cannot smell nor taste.

The loss of hearing comes next and is accompanied by an outbreak of extreme anger and rage. Michael experiences it first and is verbally abusive at Susan who flees in fear, losing her own hearing shortly afterwards. Despite her knowledge that it was the disease that caused the outburst, Susan cannot face Michael again. People struggle to adjust and to go on living. One day, every person on Earth suddenly experiences a feeling of joyful euphoria. Susan realizes she both forgives and still loves Michael and rushes to his job. The two find each other and embrace just as they, and the rest of the world, become blind.

Cast

Ewan McGregor as Michael
Eva Green as Susan
Connie Nielsen as Jenny, Susan's sister
Stephen Dillane as Stephen, Susan's boss
Ewen Bremner as James, Michael's workmate
Denis Lawson as Michael's boss
Alastair Mackenzie as Susan's workmate
Katy Engels as Narrator{{cite web |title=Katy Engels |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3489351/ |website=IMDB.com}}

Production

The film had the working title The Last Word, and Kim Fupz Aakeson's script was originally set in Copenhagen, Denmark, the capital of his homeland, but was transferred to Glasgow, Scotland, after director David Mackenzie's homeland. Scenes were shot in various locations around Glasgow, Mexico City and Kenya.{{Cite web |url=http://news.stv.tv/scotland/124762-ewan-mcgregor-shooting-new-film-in-glasgow/ |title=Ewan McGregor shooting new film in Glasgow |access-date=14 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005165842/http://news.stv.tv/scotland/124762-ewan-mcgregor-shooting-new-film-in-glasgow/ |archive-date=5 October 2011 |url-status=dead }} The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.{{cite web|title='Perfect Sense' EXCLUSIVE Trailer: Ewan McGregor & Eva Green Fall In Love As The World Falls Apart|url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/01/18/perfect-sense-trailer-exclusive-ewan-mcgregor-eva-green/#more-51446|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121062559/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/01/18/perfect-sense-trailer-exclusive-ewan-mcgregor-eva-green#more-51446|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 January 2011|work=MTV Movies Blog|accessdate=25 December 2012}}

Reception

Reviews for Perfect Sense have been mixed. Rotten Tomatoes has the film ranked at 57%.{{rotten-tomatoes|perfect_sense}} Tirdad Derakhshani of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote in his review, "The film loses its charm with annoying sequences that have a narrator explain to us 'The Meaning of it All' and then tell us 'What Really Matters' in life: Love. Love. Love.";{{cite news| url=http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/movies/20111028__Perfect_Sense___Mixing_love_and_chaos.html |title=Perfect Sense: Mixing Love and Chaos |author=Derakhshani, Tirdad |newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer |date=2011-10-27 |accessdate=2011-12-13}} and Stephen Holden of The New York Times defined it as "a solemn sci-fi parable set in present-day Glasgow, whose deepening sense of foreboding is sustained by the enigmatic, pseudo-biblical reflections of an unseen narrator."{{cite news | url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/movies/ewan-mcgregor-and-eva-green-in-perfect-sense.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fmovies%2Findex.jsonp | title=A Strange Epidemic Complicates an Already Complicated Love Story | newspaper=New York Times | first=Stephen | last=Holden | date=2 February 2012}} Mark Holcomb of The Village Voice said the film "beautifully captures the ache and counterintuitive thrill of 'the days as we know them, the world as we imagine the world' fading away by degrees—just don't be surprised if you find yourself longing for a contagion-spawned zombie bloodbath to counter the shambling lyricism."{{cite news | newspaper=Village Voice | first=Mark | last=Holcomb | url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-02-01/film/perfect-sense-film-review/ | title=Perfect Sense | date=1 February 2012}} Writing for The A.V. Club, Alison Willmore gave a more positive appraisal: "Each deprivation is preceded by a flurry of emotion that leads to the film's most vivid sequences".{{cite web|title=Perfect Sense|url=https://www.avclub.com/perfect-sense-1798171461|website=The A.V. Club|date=February 9, 2012}}

The film opened at 59 cinemas on its domestic release grossing £21,675 for the weekend 7–9 October 2011.{{cite web|title=UK Box Office: 7 - 9 October 2011|url=http://industry.bfi.org.uk/article/17593/UK-Box-Office-7---9-October-2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423204152/http://industry.bfi.org.uk/article/17593/UK-Box-Office-7---9-October-2011|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 April 2012|work=BFI|accessdate=25 December 2012}}