Perfect Sense

R

Released Feb 3, 2012

1 hr. 32 min.

Drama

Romance

List

57%

65 Reviews

Tomatometer

60%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A chef (Ewan McGregor) and a scientist (Eva Green) fall in love amid a plague that robs people of their senses.

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Critics Consensus

Perfect Sense has interesting ideas and charismatic stars, all of which add up to a viewing experience that's frustratingly less than the sum of its intriguing parts.

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Jacopo T

Long version: Unexpectedly beautiful piece of Cinema (with the capital C on purpose), very rich in meaning, compelling and moving. It explores the concept of appreciation for everyday things in life masterfully, and it really leaves the receptive viewer stumbled and with a prospective shift. I personally was even more stumbled, however, after I discovered how much this film is undervalued; by reading the reviews I felt most people banalized it and didn't really get the point to the story. It's true that it could have explored some plot leads further, but I feel like that was not the point of the film, nor it was "the importance of romantic love" in itself. It's not a film to watch just to be entertained for two hours, it's something else; and as much as the premise might sound weird, according to me this is much more of a story worth telling than many other, more succesful, ones. Lastly, both Ewan McGregor and Eva Green really did a good job in encapsulating the spirit of the story. Short version: Give it a chance if you like meaningfull stories!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/24

Full Review

KB B

This was such a compelling movie. It's such a different take on the epidemic genre. It's definitely worth the watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/24

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Rana K

This is a perfect movie. Watched in 2012 still watching it today as it continues to make perfect sense. So sorry this is not getting the recognised brilliant work it is.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/18/23

Full Review

isla s

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 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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I think this is a novel story that is extremely well done. You see the world differently after watching it - it changes you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

robert p

I actually found this movie very interesting, have you ever thought of loosing your senses???

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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David Mackenzie

Director

Ewan McGregor

Michael

Eva Green

Susan

Ewen Bremner

James

Stephen Dillane

Samuel

Denis Lawson

Boss

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

It's hard to grab hold of this piece, difficult to grasp on what it is exactly the director and the writer are trying to say, and while plenty of individual moments border on sensational on the whole this one left me scratching my head.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 17, 2012

Full Review

Alison Willmore

AV Club

Each deprivation is preceded by a flurry of emotion that leads to the film's most vivid sequences.

Rated: B-

Feb 9, 2012

Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

An intriguing apocalyptic romance with a multi-purpose title.

Rated: B+

Feb 8, 2012

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Perfect Sense fails on several levels, leaving the audience to wish the proceedings were extended by another half-hour to flesh out some of its more intriguing ideas.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 23, 2023

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Bizarre parable on love during a pandemic in modern-day Glasgow.

Rated: B-

Nov 30, 2020

Full Review

B. Ruby Rich

Film Quarterly

Scottish director David Mackenzie's Perfect Sense, play with the best kind of futurism: just like today, except for one crucial difference.

Feb 28, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

A chef (Ewan McGregor) and a scientist (Eva Green) fall in love amid a plague that robs people of their senses.

Director: David Mackenzie
Executive Producer: Peter Aalbæk Jensen
Screenwriter: Kim Fupz Aakeson
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Subotica, Sigma, BBC Films, Zentropa Entertainments
Rating: R (Some Sexuality/Nudity|Language)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 3, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 28, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.6K

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