SnoopyStyle
These are interconnected stories with the individual senses as the theme. Ruth Seraph is a massage therapist with sour teenage daughter Rachel. Anna Miller is Ruth's client and Rachel loses Anna's young daughter. Rachel is infatuated with voyeur Rupert. Robert is a professional house cleaner with a superior sense of smell. Rona is a cake maker who lost her sense of taste. Dr. Richard Jacob is an optometrist going deaf.Some of the characters are more compelling than others. In the end, I don't connect with the stories that much. This movie's central idea feels more like a gimmick. I'm interested in Ruth and Rachel. However there are some characters that feel like unwanted interruptions in the flow of the movie. It's disjointed and I can't find its flow. It would be a more compelling story if it's told more straightforwardly.
clkfan
Every once in a while a movie comes along that takes hold and never lets go. The Five Senses does that, from the beginning to the end, in a way where you know leaving your seat will cause you to miss a vital part of the movie. Knowing this, you can't help but remain on the sofa, recliner or your favorite movie chair until the final credits begin scrolling the screen. There is no need for me to detail the movie because I could not do it justice. The only way to get this movie, is to simply watch it for yourself. It's as simple as that and by not watching The Five Senses, you are missing out on a touching film.
noralee
"Five Senses" is a Robert Altman-like large ensemble meeting "All About My Mother."It has a didactic theme as there's an eye dr. going deaf, a baker constructing tasteless, attractive looking cakes, a lover whose cooking tastes delicious but because of foreign language is perceived as not speaking at all, a cleaner whose job it is to eliminate odors seeking the smell of love, and no shortage of voyeurs of the 5 senses, including a massage therapist.And it all comes down to that in matters of the heart and intimacy you cannot trust your senses. Nothing is what it seems. The cinematography and soundtrack are appropriately lush, but will probably be fine on video or cable. The loose ends are mostly tied up to some satisfaction, though not all happy endings.It was nice to pick out Canadian actors from various little movies and TV shows. (originally written 7/30/2000)
tedg
Spoilers herein.The problem with this sort of film is that everything you can get comes from the actors, and the absolute most that they can deliver under these circumstances is truth. But both film and film actors are capable of so very much more that even when these little projects are done well, they lack the greater magic.Still, sometimes this type of thing captures me. The Altman and Anderson rambles do, even `Perfume' in its way. Certainly `Things You can Tell..' though that's serial not parallel. This and `Lantana' did not, though I have no complaints with the actors. I guess I need something with more teeth than general angst wrapped in a rather poor metaphor. And I was expecting so much more, because that metaphor could have been cast in terms of cognition in general meaning the connections and perceptions of the artists to the viewers. The subject of human relationships could have extended to that of them related to us. When the tagline advertised after the style of Egoyan, that's what raised my hopes. Now, an interesting question is how many people think that Egoyan is just about the lives of the characters, that it is constrained to the story? Not many I hope.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 4: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
AD
