Perfect Sense

Perfect Sense beautifully intertwines two storylines. One romantic between Ewan McGregor and Eva Green, and the other dramatic about a pandemic spreading through the world and people gradually losing their sense of taste, hearing, and sight. It also contains many "what if" thoughts and shows us that with limitations, humans can still live. The philosophy from this film splashes everywhere and it's not a five-minute thing, where Eva Green or Ewan McGregor don't say something that would give you pause and make you think. A beautiful film, an interesting film... full of questions to which we don't know the answers, but which we will only learn when the time comes. Add to that the beautiful, hypnotic symphony on the piano by the brilliant composer Max Richter, and there's something absolutely amazing that everyone who likes to think about life should see. (2012-02-17)

The story portrayed in this film is not set in any particular time or place, the “hypertext” interspersing of the fictional event with authentic news footage illustrates the global impact of the epidemic and gives us the feeling that what we see is happening right now and in this world. The small scale of the narrative with a few people and one place is not adhered to as conscientiously as in another chamber film about the end of the world, namely von Trier’s Melancholia (in contrast to the procedural Contagion, both films provide space for the characters’ reactions to the anticipated end of existence rather than to the cause of the epidemic). It isn’t clear what the filmmakers want to point out to us. The pointlessness of treating symptoms instead of looking for deeper causes? The distancing of humanity from the roots of a "pure", pre-technological society? The cynicism and selfishness of humanity, which at a critical juncture gives preference to physical pleasure over atonement? In any case, there is no doubt that the subtext of the vaguely articulated challenge is hopeful: don’t deal with bullshit and re-establish broken contacts (with people, or with the world). The optimistic message will be a reason to sneer especially for viewers enthused by von Trier’s film, which conceals one layer of depression under another. The biggest cynics can choose the opposite reading and see Perfect Sense as an unintentional parody of post-apocalyptic films (the gluttony phase of the contagion looks like an outtake from a zombie-horror B-movie). Too much latitude for interpretation, the predictability of the plot and the fear of really going all out (like Fernando Meirelles in the much rawer Blindness) prevent us from enjoying Perfect Sense as a disaster thriller. The film works much better – almost flawlessly in the final scene – as a standard melodrama about a couple in love facing a force more power than them, but not more powerful than their love. The film makes perfect sense only as a drama that we willingly let ourselves be touched by. 70% (2012-02-04)

The person who wrote the official distributor’s text must have lost all his senses (including his sixth sense), but mainly his common sense. Or else deep down he must really hate this movie. Which is equally as unlikely as someone sincerely loving Perfect Sense; originality and form are pushed too much at the expense of everything else for somebody to love this. It is more interesting (and has too many loose ends) than actually good; but luckily it is interesting in just the right way. (2012-03-10)

Perfect Sense is a more philosophical version of Soderberg’s Contagion, but with more modest production. With the exception of the nicely done ending, however, it is just as cold and detached, which is not the best choice, given the film’s focus on the two central characters (and their relationship). (2012-02-06)

The name David Mackenzie first caught my attention with the modern western Hell or High Water, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Perfect Sense, however, is a completely different kind of film. The closest comparison might be Soderbergh’s Contagion, but Perfect Sense is still quite distinct. It’s not a film with a particularly high budget, but on the other hand, it has a concept that hasn’t been explored before. A film about the gradual loss of human senses, one after the other? That’s something we really haven’t seen before, and it’s a good thing someone came up with it. I liked everything about the film, though I would have toned down the romantic subplot between Ewan McGregor and Eva Green, which felt a bit overdone and somewhat detracted from the overall effect. It’s not that it didn’t fit, but the creators seemed to give it more attention than the actual loss of human senses. I enjoyed how, during the loss of hearing, as a viewer, you really couldn’t hear anything—it struck me as a brilliant idea. The narrator's words stuck in my mind minute by minute. The ending was grand. It's a magnificent film made on a small budget, and it’s one that will make you think for days after watching it. I give it 83%. (2017-06-11)