Perfect Sense
As a global epidemic erases the senses one by one, a scientist and a chef seek intimacy in a city losing its grip on ordinary life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- foreboding
- philosophical
- reflective movie night
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an evocative but uneven science-fiction romance, praising its vivid emotional sequences while finding its solemn narration and overt philosophical messaging heavy-handed.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The epidemic removes smell and then other senses, making bodily perception the film's central dramatic mechanism.
The worldwide epidemic is experienced chiefly through Susan and Michael's developing relationship and their everyday work.
Susan's voice-over reflections and the unseen narrator's solemn commentary frame the sensory losses as an enigmatic parable.
Susan and Michael pursue intimacy while civil authorities struggle to preserve order and successive sensory losses transform daily life.
Films like Perfect Sense, and why
The Lobster
shared speculative premise, intimate romance, and melancholic meditation on human connection during social collapse
Children of Men
shared apocalyptic science fiction, emotional restraint, and focus on relationships under extraordinary conditions
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
shared romantic drama, philosophical tone, and exploration of love amid an altered sensory or social reality
Contagion
shared epidemic anxiety, subdued dread, and emotionally driven science fiction rather than action spectacle
Movie Details
- Director
- David Mackenzie
- Release Date
- 2011-09-29
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (1287)
Cast
- Ewan McGregor
- Eva Green
- Ewen Bremner
- Stephen Dillane
- Denis Lawson
- Anamaria Marinca
- Alastair Mackenzie
- Connie Nielsen
- Lauren Tempany
- Shabana Akhtar Bakhsh
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Perfect Sense about?
- As a global epidemic erases the senses one by one, a scientist and a chef seek intimacy in a city losing its grip on ordinary life.
- What is Perfect Sense like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Perfect Sense as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Perfect Sense violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Perfect Sense as mild.
- What did critics think of Perfect Sense?
- Critics broadly found the film an evocative but uneven science-fiction romance, praising its vivid emotional sequences while finding its solemn narration and overt philosophical messaging heavy-handed.
- Which films are like Perfect Sense?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lobster, Children of Men, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Contagion.
- How long is Perfect Sense?
- Perfect Sense runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Perfect Sense?
- In United States, Perfect Sense streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV channel.
