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Studio: IFC Films
Year: 2012
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Eva Green, Ewen Bremner, Stephen Dillane, Denis Lawson, Connie Nielsen
Director: David Mackenzie
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Rating: R for (language and some sexuality/nudity)
Run Time: 01h:32m:26s
Genre(s): drama
“There’s nothing to say it’s a virus. There’s nothing that matches anything we know.” - Susan (Eva Green)
This wonderful, emotionally balanced film was criminally ignored during it's brief, extremely limited theatrical run. There's no excuse to miss it on Blu-ray though, as the leads are fantastic and the story is beyond compelling.
Movie Grade: A-
DVD Grade: B
Given that we are, indeed, currently experiencing the year 2012, which the Mayans infamously
predicted would be our last year of existence, it’s no surprise that we’ve recently seen countless films depicting
catastrophic events (zombie attacks, plagues, etc.) threatening to cause such an end to humanity. One of the most
recent, David Mackenzie’s Perfect Sense, reunites the director with Ewan McGregor, the star of his underrated film,
Young Adam, putting his character in a society where something is causing people to lose their five senses, one-by-
one. This is a stellar, heart-wrenching love story that was sadly ignored by audiences during its limited theatrical
run, but, thanks to IFC Films’ new Blu-ray release, we might all learn a thing or two before something similar occurs.
Michael (McGregor) is a chef at a prominent restaurant who can’t hold a steady girlfriend, and, given his tendency
to never let a lover sleep in his bed, has an extremely hard time with commitment. Susan (Eva Green) is an
epidemiologist that rarely has time for love, despite recently ending a relationship with coworker, Stephen (Stephen
Dillane). She is also currently investigating what seems to be an outbreak of an epidemic that is afflicting people
with a period of incredible grief that is instantly followed by the permanent loss of their sense of smell. Susan
randomly meets Michael one day, as his restaurant is located right below her flat, but it isn’t long after this initial
meeting that both of them are also hit by this epidemic. As the global situation worsens, so do Susan and Michael’s
conditions, but it remains possible that they will fall in love with each other, despite the gradual disappearance of
their senses.
It’s very possible that viewers might shudder as soon as they hear Eva Green’s opening voiceover narration, if only
because such a thing, regardless of who the narrator is, usually spells doom for a film. Rest assured, however, that
her work as narrator here is integral to the success of Perfect Sense, a notion that is clear from the very beginning.
The narration blends beautifully with the visuals during the opening sequence, creating a documentary feel to the
proceedings and setting Mackenzie’s bleak, yet optimistic tone perfectly. The narration maintains his tone
throughout, adding some sense of control to a chaotic landscape that, has even us, the viewers, emotionally
distraught. Also prevalent during the narrated sequences is the simply amazing score by Max Richter (Waltz With
Bashir, Womb); a consistently haunting, versatile piece that will likely stand amongst 2012’s best when all is said
and done.
Overall, and given the rather bleak state of our society today, Perfect Sense is rather depressing stuff. Shot using
long, drawn out, reflective, and dialogue-heavy sequences, we’re often left with our own thoughts, wondering how
we would react if this situation was, indeed, real. Helping us along this dark and dreary path are two unforgettable
performances by the leads, McGregor and Green, both of whom have never been better. Both actors are on a heck
of a hot streak as well, with Green appearing in edgy, interesting fare like Womb and McGregor wowing us in The
Ghost Writer, Beginners, and Haywire. Perfect Sense is far from a…well, perfect film, but the chemistry between
McGregor and Green, along with an overall compelling story, make it a good excuse to put the zombie movies away
for a bit and enjoy a bit of a more realistic take on what our future may hold, or not hold, if such a tragedy were to
ever actually happen.
Despite the relative ambiguity of Perfect Sense amongst most moviegoers, IFC has done a pretty good job with
their Blu-ray release. The 1080p AVC-encoded transfer appears to be extremely faithful to the HD video nature of
the source material, despite a few struggles with noise during some darker sequences. The DTS-HD 5.1 Master
Audio is extremely impressive, though, bringing Max Richter’s aforementioned, stellar score to life by allowing it to
completely envelope us via aggressive use of the surrounds. The film occasionally calls for sudden bursts of loud
sounds, and these are also handled flawlessly. Unfortunately, the only extras are a featurette that’s under two
minutes and offers only a handful of clips from interviews with the cast and crew, and the original trailer for Perfect
Sense.
Posted by: Chuck Aliaga - June 28, 2012, 8:26 am - DVD Review
Keywords: feeling, epidemic, sensory perceptions
