Perfect Sense (2011)

Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi

Director: David Mackenzie
Writer: Kim Fupz Aakeson
Starring: Eva Green, Lauren Tempany, Ewan McGregor, Connie Nielsen

"“When everyone’s losing their senses, we’re doing something that makes…Perfect Sense!”"

A somewhat underrated romantic thriller by director Scottish David Mackenzie (Young Adam, Starred Up) that is set in the background of global pandemic that affects the whole human race.

Susan (Eva Green) is an epidemiologist in Glasgow, who is trying to find the causes of the disease that spreads around the country and apparently the whole world, that leaves people without their sense of smell. She is one of the epidemic's victims but she meets Michael (Ewan McGregor), a talented and attractive chef who works at a a restaurant across the alley from her apartment. The two get involved in a love affair while their world begins to crumble, as smell is only the first of the senses that everyone loses.

The film chronicles both the relationship between its two protagonists and the unexplainable plague that destroys the humanity step-by-step, every deprivation being preceded by bursts of emotion that lead to the film's most vivid sequences. People stuff themselves with whatever they can find, including flowers and raw meat, before losing taste, and burst into uncontrollable fits of crying over memories evoked by certain scents, before the they lose their smell.

Plot summary from IMDb: An odd epidemic appears across the globe: people suddenly lose one of their senses. At first, it's an outbreak of loss of smell. It's often presaged by a destructive temper tantrum. In this mix are a scientist and a chef - she's Susan, one of a team trying to understand the epidemic; he's Michael, charming and engaging. Susan and Michael begin a relationship in the middle of increasing chaos, as the loss of other senses plagues more people and as civil authorities try to maintain order. Susan's voice-over reflections provide insight. Is love possible in such a changed world? Can anything make perfect sense?

Awards: 3 wins & 3 nominations.
Runtime: 92 min
R