Release Date – 2/10/2012 (limited)
Michael is a womanizing chef who isn’t too keen on commitment. Susan is an intelligent epidemiologist, which is a scientist studying health patterns in a population. It just so happens the most serious epidemic in the world is starting to occur. People are losing their senses one by one. It begins with smell, not too much panic at first, but then the disease spreads to taste and hearing. Scientists are baffled and everyone seems to be affected. Michael’s restaurant suffers and Susan struggles to find out the cause of the disease. They meet and comfort each other while the world falls apart. It’s a love story put into a very unique setting. Guys don’t have to worry about it being a chick flick, there is not much lovey dovey going on even though it truly is a love story.
Ewan McGregor plays Michael. The movie begins with him in bed with a woman trying to fall asleep, but he can’t so he kicks her out. He says he can’t sleep with someone in his bed. Obviously ruining any further encounters with this girl, but he doesn’t seem to care. Eva Green plays Susan who goes into work and is told about a man who broke down crying uncontrollably and when he recovered, he lost his sense of smell. She doesn’t see a connection until her co-worker says hundreds of similar cases are happening all over the world. She meets Michael who works at the restaurant right outside her building. He invites her in for a meal when she starts losing herself in painful memories. He takes her home and the same happens to him. They both awaken with no sense of smell. People seem to get on with their lives and just forget what smelling was even like… until taste comes next. Michael’s restaurant tries to survive over time and people continue to live their lives and now enjoy food based on texture and color. But when people all over the world start losing their hearing, madness breaks out. There is always an extreme feeling followed by the loss of a sense. Sometimes spread out weeks but seemingly affecting everyone for no reason.
The movie could have easily been something like Outbreak where its more about the virus. But this is just about a new relationship starting as an outbreak occurs. They never find out what the disease is or even work on a cure. We don’t see a message from the President or what the military is doing to control the diseased people. We are just treated to the lives of Michael and Susan. Its from director David MacKenzie who made films like Spread with Ashton Kutcher and another Ewan McGregor film, Young Adam. But this is his best work to date. A grim setting but a love story. The ending of the film was very well done when the more important senses start to go and the audience is treated like they’re also in the film. It gave a sense of panic and urgency. But its still deeply rooted in a love story between two people while the world as they know it totally changes. The message being people get on with their lives no matter what and love is all that matters. Kinda cheesy, sure, but the film sells it.
IMDB – 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes – 51%
Movie Wiseguys – 7.5/10