Perfect Sense
IFC Films | Release Date: February 3, 2012
6.9
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 63 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
40
Mixed:
18
Negative:
5
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User Reviews

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4
sanders201Jun 8, 2012
Terrible. I wanted so badly to like this film, but it was terrible....boring...in opposition to one critic's review, it was in fact over-stylized and redundantly abstract. The voice-over narration was annoying and inappropriate. TheTerrible. I wanted so badly to like this film, but it was terrible....boring...in opposition to one critic's review, it was in fact over-stylized and redundantly abstract. The voice-over narration was annoying and inappropriate. The relationship between the two main characters seemed forced and insincere. I am usually very fond of under-the-radar films, especially with talented actors, but I was sorely disappointed with this film. I wanted to stop it halfway through, but I'm not one to quit something once I've started it. But all in all, it was a waste of my evening. I wasn't left wondering about any great dilemma in the world or pondering the intricacies of relationships. I was left bored and uninspired. Hope this helps.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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8
smiyamotApr 30, 2016
What an original story; I've never seen anything similar. We have two people trying to connect as lovers while the world faces a threat. Okay, that is familiar, Titanic, The Abyss, etc. We get to see how people react to the threat, howWhat an original story; I've never seen anything similar. We have two people trying to connect as lovers while the world faces a threat. Okay, that is familiar, Titanic, The Abyss, etc. We get to see how people react to the threat, how these two react to each other, a good character study.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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8
asthobaskoroJun 20, 2012
Pretty depressing, for some people maybe it's old sweet movie, uneven or whatever. But for me it's great, every frame, every sense, love. You'll notice when something bad happen on life, on your love, you must go on.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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10
Luisjoao33Mar 12, 2012
It is just not an apocaliptic movie, or a story based on Saramago´s novels. I really loved it, very fresh, reflexive, very good acting, and a story that left me some to think during the whole week end
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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9
Apemonkey666Jun 11, 2012
If you like standard, run-of-the-mill romantic comedies like 'Serendipity', 'Kate & Leopold' or 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' this might not be the movie for you. This is a little gem that you only rarely discover between the defaultIf you like standard, run-of-the-mill romantic comedies like 'Serendipity', 'Kate & Leopold' or 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' this might not be the movie for you. This is a little gem that you only rarely discover between the default Hollywood drab, so if you want to see something completely different you might come to know and love this film. One of the better films of 2012.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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1
peterbJun 21, 2013
Don't let the fact that this film participated in the Sundance Film Festival fool you. It is an attempt at telling a tale of lovers tormented by an apocalyptic epidemic, which results in a black mood and a boring plot.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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9
KivaJun 20, 2013
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I can't understand the bad reviews in that film. At first i saw it was a BBC movie and i thought it won't be good. This film came as a surprise for me as it's one of the best film drama-romance-fantasy. The plot is truly original and the ending made me really sad. I can't imagine how it is when you lose all your senses. The last scene will make you cry. And Eva Green's narration will chill you. Thumbs up… Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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10
EdwinApr 9, 2014
A journey through a matrix of sense and emotion. I can only explain my positive reaction (compared to the general apathy of critics) on my predisposition to such overt portrayals of raw emotion. A brilliant ending.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
SpangleApr 6, 2017
David Mackenzie's Perfect Sense is a film that shows the problem with narration better than any film I have ever seen. Long ago, a family member remarked how they hated narrators in film. At first, it is a little odd to hear because narratorsDavid Mackenzie's Perfect Sense is a film that shows the problem with narration better than any film I have ever seen. Long ago, a family member remarked how they hated narrators in film. At first, it is a little odd to hear because narrators often do add a lot. Some of my own personal favorites use narrators extensively. Yet, their point is a fair one. All too often, the narrator is a crutch in telling the story and the story itself feels either too disjointed to work or is too exposition heavy to really actually dive into its story. Often times, this is a non-issue. Others, it is detrimental to the film. Perfect Sense has a unique premise in which the world, one by one, loses its five senses. In conjunction with this, Michael (Ewan McGregor) and Susan (Eva Green) fall in love and discover that, though everything else is collapsing around them, the fact that they have each other is enough. It is touching material that knows it is touching material and compounds the issue with tone-deaf narration that is the equivalent of walking into the room of a quadriplegic and saying, "Hey, it is not all that bad. At least you still have emotions."

Perfect Sense's premise is quite captivating. When it really dives into it all, you feel the trauma of losing your senses individually. Losing one at a time, the people in this world struggle to cope, but they adapt. They keep going along in their regular lives, except without a sense. Losing it is traumatic with odd symptoms immediately preceding the sense going away, but once it is gone, they quickly adjust and move on in their new lives. The worst part is the anticipation and nostalgia they suddenly feel for smell, taste, or hearing. Descriptions of a wet forest with all of the leaves and the smell of fresh rain really play out well and impeccably written. Though we can have all of our senses, the film somehow makes us feel that very same nostalgia. In a way, it feels as though we too have lost these senses and are trying to imagine what it was like to have them alongside the characters. The film's sense of imagery is impeccable and really captures what it feels like to have these senses and experience the world. Of all of its positives, this stands as its sole triumph.

While the romance is not particularly necessary, it is well done. Casting aside past misgivings and forging ahead with a new love, Perfect Sense's moral of the story is that nothing matters if you have love. While perhaps a bit sappy, its romantic core really does how little else matters. The scenes are passionate, touching, and tense as they race about without being able to hear and look for one another. Perhaps it is not necessarily a must have for this film, this romance does wonders for the characters and their arcs, while also providing some ample space for Mackenzie to develop the film's final moral message.

Yet, far too often, we return to our narrator. Describing the downfall of society and making some obvious parallels with how often the world turns to violence, it is far too heavy-handed and hamfisted to actually work. While its actual plot is nuanced and intricately written, its exposition-laden narration that tries to speak to how to act in the world and spoon feed the audience words about what it means to be alive, really hurts the film dramatically. Instead of being a compelling science fiction film, it feels as though focus shifts to the narration with the plot being nothing more than a re-enactment of a scenario akin to an episode of Dateline on NBC. This narration is not merely heavy-handed, but feels practically obnoxious and know-it-all with how it professes to know the meaning of life, while the poor infantile-minded viewer needs this bedtime story to be told to them in order for them to understand it all. Its exposition can be excused, but how it preaches about morals, what really matter, and the human experience comes off as being written by a teenager with no life experience. Compared to the more contemplative and show-don't-tell nature of the plot itself, this narration is greatly unfortunate and constantly takes the steam out of the film.

That said, two well-matched romantic leads in Ewan McGregor and Eva Green, alongside a compelling premise is often enough to save a film, no matter its flaws. Perfect Sense nearly pulls this off, but still winds up being a mixed bag and bang average due to its annoying narration that tries to do too much and feels as though the filmmakers admitted they could not achieve thematic nuance in the plot, without including this hamfisted narration. It is unfortunate and incredibly lazy, reducing what is a nice little science fiction romance film into being a film that tries to imbue more importance than it really possesses.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
HarmonicAug 6, 2014
Globally, the movie's good. Great actors, darkest atmosphere and interesting staging. However, there is some too far long scenes, too intimist. The romance between Ewan McGregor and Eva Green is too much developed in relation to the reactionsGlobally, the movie's good. Great actors, darkest atmosphere and interesting staging. However, there is some too far long scenes, too intimist. The romance between Ewan McGregor and Eva Green is too much developed in relation to the reactions of the world in front of this epidemic...… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
RobertBroganOct 6, 2015
The Perfect Sense feels like it should have been a good movie but winds up not more than mediocre. The lead actress is a terrible fit for the role, her acting felt fake in a few key scenes and in others she seemed more a spoiled princess thanThe Perfect Sense feels like it should have been a good movie but winds up not more than mediocre. The lead actress is a terrible fit for the role, her acting felt fake in a few key scenes and in others she seemed more a spoiled princess than an epidemiologist working hard on a cure to save the world. Besides that, the film was alright. The premise was interesting, the shooting was fine, and Ewan MacGregor's performance was believable. I must say, though, if you are going to make a movie about the end of the world and you want it to work, the audience has to have a good amount of sympathy for the characters.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
zoeblacklockApr 12, 2016
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This film really makes you think about your senses, how important they are and if you were to lose them, how would you carry on. After seeing so many reviews that were negative I was confused, as this film's story line is such a great yet terrifying idea that the director and actors have managed to put across to the audience successfully. The director really captured the feelings of loss when each sense disappears, the fear the panic, especially when hearing is lost.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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2
BroyaxJan 9, 2017
Ah Eva Green ! toujours prompte à montrer ses merveilleux atours et heureusement, car ça permet d'égayer un film qu'on ne saurait trop catégoriser sinon que de le mettre tout en bas, là où finissent tous les pseudo-films de son acabit, dansAh Eva Green ! toujours prompte à montrer ses merveilleux atours et heureusement, car ça permet d'égayer un film qu'on ne saurait trop catégoriser sinon que de le mettre tout en bas, là où finissent tous les pseudo-films de son acabit, dans la fosse à purin intello-bobo prétentieuse et inepte.

Eva Green ne saurait être réduite à ses atouts physiques, bien que paradoxalement elle le soit en dépit de la meilleure volonté du monde : son beau visage et ses traits sont si charmants qu'ils en deviennent apaisants, peu importe ce qu'elle joue ou tente de jouer, on s'en fout ce qu'elle joue.

Ce que j'en suis réduit à écrire pour justifier un 2 au lieu d'un 1 ! mais Eva le mérite, y compris dans tous ses films qui ne méritent même pas 1... parce qu'elle le vaut bien.

A l'autre bout, il y a cette andouille de McGregor qui nous désole même s'il est gentil le McGregor, il est gentil !

Quant au reste... j'ai juste envie de résumer cette pandémie de l'ablation des sens par un "putain, c'est quoi cette merde encore ?". Revoyons le script : crise de larmes, perte de l'odorat ; crise de rage, perte de l'audition ; explosion de joie, perte de...

Oui, un producteur, des producteurs ont "produit" cette connerie sirupeuse avec la voix off d'Eva qui débite de temps à autre des niaiseries et autres phrases creuses : on dirait une poésie d'un chiard de CE2 alors qu'il vous tend son "oeuvre", un infâme gribouillis en l'occurrence.

Pour un nain, ce n'est pas bien grave ; pour un film, c'est pitoyable.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
OrukayuJan 25, 2023
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a great movie from 2011. A different perspective on the subject that the end of the world will occur with the loss of the senses. And events are unfolding one by one. Meanwhile, a love blossoms between a doctor and a chef at the beginning of these situations. First a crying attack, then the sense of smell is lost. After a short while, the deadly hunger goes first, followed by the sense of taste. Then hatred and hearing, joy and sight. As disasters come one after another, the love between the two grows. The woman who went into a fit of anger before she could hear the last words of the man at the moment when her hearing was lost, and that scene. And the final sight. Captivates the audience's emotionality. Eva Green and Ewan McGregor plus all the side characters play brilliantly. There are sex scenes in the movie. One of my recommended movies.… Expand
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8
DawdlingPoetMay 8, 2022
I thought this was really quite a moving film. It felt fairly true to life, given we've only just (hopefully?!) starting to re-emerge to a form of normality following the coronavirus pandemic and one of the original/main symptoms, we wereI thought this was really quite a moving film. It felt fairly true to life, given we've only just (hopefully?!) starting to re-emerge to a form of normality following the coronavirus pandemic and one of the original/main symptoms, we were told, was a lack of taste or smell. In this film, people suffer from an unknown virus which makes them unable to taste or smell. You could say the film name is ironic - faulty sense may be more applicable. I found the characters interesting - I could certainly sympathise with both the man, Michael (played by Ewan McGregor) and the woman, Susan (played by Eva Green) and the scenes showing the streets and city days after this virus has impacted the local area is a bit haunting, certainly - it made me think fo the '28 days later'.

There are scenes with no music or narration - scenes in which we're shown people and things in complete silence, which certainly adds an eeriness to it. This is what I'd regard a chilling romance/mystery film primarily, as the whereabouts of the virus isn't entirely known, so it has quite a mysterious feel to it, while people's perseverance is very much emphasised. I thought for what it is, its a pretty well made film. It may hit a bit close to home for some but it's certainly worth a watch, yes. Also, the narrator, when present, her voice is distinctly spooky in tone.… Expand
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