Especially during the initial period of the Covid pandemic, similar pandemic scenarios depicted in movies that were shot just before and after the 2010s drew attention. Steven Soderbergh‘s movie “Contagion” and Fernando Meirelles‘ “Blindness” adapted from José Saramago’s novel of the same name, as well as “Perfect Sense” also found their place in the lists.

Perfect Sense tells the story of Michael (Ewan McGregor), a chef, and Susan (Eva Green), an epidemiologist, who fall in love with each other while an epidemic that causes people to lose their senses spreads in Glasgow, Scotland.

The movie examines how people can react to losing their senses rather than the origin of the epidemic, which is the kind that allows people to adapt to the change as it gradually takes over their senses one by one and starts spreading from person to person in Glasgow. However, doctors cannot explain the situation or determine how the disease is spreading.

Michael’s restaurant is very close to Susan’s house. When Michael takes a cigarette break, he asks Susan for a lighter and they meet. As their conversation progresses, the two characters become closer, but they struggle with bonding due to the traumas they experienced in their past relationships. Meanwhile, as the epidemic becomes more apparent, and characters lose their senses, they start trying to find ways to manage their relationships and their work.

Compared to most apocalyptic and dystopian films, the movie takes a more optimistic view of the events. Although people lose their senses and are uncertain about the future, they do not lose their common sense. They try to cope with their problems and adapt to the new situation both in their personal and social lives.

In the movie’s final scene, the two characters who have lost their senses and fought with each other due to their reactions to losing their senses embark on a journey to find each other. They eventually manage to find each other, but by then they have lost their sense of smell, taste, and hearing. Before losing their sense of sight, they take one last look at each other. As they run towards each other, the screen fades to black. It is understood that the characters have now also lost their sense of sight, leaving them only with their sense of touch. The movie ends by stating that there are two types of people in the world: those who believe in everything except the end of the world, and those who don’t know what else to do.

It can be said that Eva Green and Ewan McGregor are successful in reflecting the emotional turmoil of Susan and Michael and deliver a spot-on performance.

Regarding the movie’s visuals and cinematography, there are natural lighting and handheld camera shots that sometimes recall the Dogme 95 movement. Max Richter, who has composed music for the HBO series The Leftovers and the science-fiction movie Arrival, manages to once again take the audience through a range of emotions with his music, including his piece “Luminous,” which features in this film.

Perfect Sense is a movie that suggests that humans can adapt to changing conditions with their survival instinct and that ultimately, the only thing they will lose is their love.