Rating: 
Summary: Waiting for the other shoe to drop...
Review: Other reviewers in this sight pretty much hit on all the strong and possible weak points of this film. The viewer meets these odd charachters at a time when things may or may not happen in their lives. Sometimes a matter of seconds makes that determination. They all either know each other or know someone who knows someone else in the story and are all bound or separated by one of the five senses. For me, the key moment is an instant of dread that hangs over the rest of the movie until that moment is played out. (I won't spoil it for potential viewers) This moment hangs over everything like the gray skies, bare trees and clean but cold interiors witnessed throughout the entire film. It seemed to be the reason I kept following these people and their plights. The psychiatrist who knows he's losing his hearing. The physical therapist who has already lost touch with her daughter and the cook who bakes cakes for their looks and not their taste. There are others with similar "problems," and you flutter from one character to the next to see if and how they and their problems will pan out. Maybe this isn't a great movie. I'll proably know more as time passes and I either do or do not have the urge to view it again. However, I enjoyed it tremendously for every moment I sat there drinking the whole thing in. The fact is you don't meet characters and situations like this in most films. And though originality is no virtue in its own right, it drove this film up a few more notches on the watchability scale. I also liked the way the sets were designed and lit. Yes, it does give a nod to the Woody Allens and Ingmar Bergmans of the film industry but I can think of worse aspirations. Is the ending a cop-out? Maybe. But if everyone needs a jolt to get them to re-examine the way they live their lives, this will be one sorry planet. People's lives DO go on day after day and that is as much a curse as it is a blessing. If you're pretty sure the sun is going to come up tomorrow, your choice is to either take it for granted or take advantage of it. I watched this film to see what these characters planned to do about it.
Rating: 
Summary: Sensational! No spoilers here....
Review: Running through this very graceful and captivating film is a common thread of losses and of subsequent findings. While touching on the poignant, it is never a depressing movie. The five senses are indeed a strong theme in the film's devices, giving it a more passionate and immediate connection to the viewer. Although relatively simple in scope, this story has several interesting levels. It could be enjoyed quietly, like a great wine, or it could be a great conversation-starter, especially since the director leaves one little unclaimed morsel on the plate, so to speak. Amazingly simple dialogue, yet so life-like in its complexities of the characters. Warm tones infuse Gregory Middleton's lovely cinematography, shot on location in Toronto in the autumn. I am willing to bet money that Woody Allen wishes he had directed this beauty. Actually, if you liked Hannah and Her Sisters, or September, or Interiors, you'll probably love this. There is a Scandinavian (Bergman) feel to the art direction and spare sets, but this is the first time I am seeing Taavo Sodoor's work. He will be one to look out for. Master director Atom Egoyan was given a mention of gratitude in the closing credits, but I don't know what he actually contributed. I would imagine that Egoyan fans would adore this film.
Rating:
Summary: "Nothing can cure the soul like the senses" Oscar Wilde
Review: THE FIVE SENSES is a film metaphor, a study of people all interconnected in a Canadian city whose characters are representative of the Five Senses; touch, smell, vision, hearing, taste.
TOUCH: Masseuse Ruth Seraph (Gabrielle Rose) is unable to connect with her young daughter Rachel (Nadia Litz) who wanders the world aimlessly disenchanted and is responsible for the disappearance of a young pre-school girl, the daughter of Anna Miller (Molly Parker), a patient of Ruth's, yet she is the sole source of 'touch' for a young desperate man who likely is an AIDS victim.
HEARING: In the same building is an ophthalmologist Dr. Jacob (Phillipe Volter), a devoted opera fan who is loosing his sense of hearing. TASTE: Also in the building live Rona (Mary-Louis Parker) who creates cakes that are beautiful but without taste. SMELL: Rona's bisexual friend Robert (Daniel MacIvor) seeks out previous lovers to see if he can identify with their particular smell. VISION: Rachel 's acquaintance Rupert (Brendan Fletcher) introduces her to voyeurism in the park, seeing men kiss, etc.
This type of matching the senses to characters seems a bit simplistic when put into writing, but the magic of how Director Jeremy Podeswa stirs this heady brew and makes it all weave together is the beauty of this film. The acting is superb, the story is intelligent and demanding, and the overall effect is a penetrating inspection of how we live our lives in relative isolation until destiny or a single event proves once again that we are one body of mankind. A very satisfying and edifying film. Grady Harp, December 2004
Rating: 
Summary: Quirky French-Canadian romanticism
Review: To understand exactly what writer/director Jeremy Podeswa tries to accomplish with 'The Five Senses,' it's first necessary to know where the idea for this quirky little film originated. After reading Diane Ackerman's remarkable book, 'A Natural History of the Senses,' Podeswa began to ponder ways in which he could translate to film her theme of how modern day life has overstimulated the five human senses to the point where we no longer remember how to appreciate sensation in its purest form -- we've become detached from that which is truly worthwhile in life.
The resulting work embodies the five senses in five major characters who all live and work in the same apartment complex. Each has issues surrounding a particular sense -- one has a hobbled sense of taste while another has a heightened sense of smell, for instance. Around this central theme revolve ancillary stories about a lost little girl and a teenage voyeur who meets his match in a rebellious girl. What these side stories serve to do is to force the main characters to look beyond their own preconceived notions and begin to consider what the world looks like when all five of the senses are fully engaged and appreciated.
If it sounds like a pretentious art-house flick, well, to a degree it is. The plot is there more to facilitate the main theme than to tell a cohesive narrative and everything from the cinematography to the music fairly screams "award winner" (the film was nominated for 9 Genie Awards and won for Best Director). The whole concept of basing the premise of a movie on the five senses is fairly ambitious and I can't really fault the director if the end result seems somewhat forced and contrived at times. So then, how does it look? The transfer is offered in both full screen and anamorphic widescreen versions with the latter presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The film takes place in environments ranging from dimly-lit rooms with stark shadows to gray, overcast skies -- all of which are handled quite well. Colors are lush, where appropriate, and black levels are very solid allowing for fine shadow detail. It's a DVD from New Line Home Video, so the fact that the picture is near perfect should come as no surprise.
The audio for 'The Five Senses' is presented in English and French Dolby Digital 2.0 mixes. Since the movie is mostly dialogue-driven, don't expect much in the way of dynamic range from the soundtrack. The soundstage is firmly anchored front and center with only a few ambient effects and wisps of music floating to the surrounds. But, voices are always clear and even the faintest whisper in a lover's ear remains audible. Extras on the disc are limited to the theatrical trailer, a few cast and crew bios and filmographies, and a very sparse offering of DVD-ROM content.
I found 'The Five Senses' to be an engaging film -- but one that requires a fair amount of attention to detail. If I had not known going in what the basis for the movie was I would have been hopelessly lost. Performances are, for the most part, quite good and the cast is able to work within the constraints of their particular characters to tell the story. New Line's DVD offers their usual stellar audio and video presentation and is without flaw -- although a few extras would have been most appreciated.
Fans of modern Canadian cinema along the lines of Atom Egoyan's 'The Sweet Hereafter' or Don McKellar's 'Last Night' are sure to enjoy the dynamic character interactions and deft combination of drama, humor, and sexuality. If you're a member of that rare breed then I can recommend 'The Five Senses' without hesitation. For all others I would suggest a rental to be sure that this complicated, and slightly flawed, film is right for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretentious b.s.
Review: Who would believe that such characters exist in real life? In the writer's too obvious effort to assign an unusual and distinctive trait or to each character, he has only succeeded in making them non-stereotypical, but nonetheless flat and incredible. It is ironic that a film called "The Five Senses" is as dead as some of the characters in it. That goes for the directorial treatment too. Very uninvolved and detached. The only sensual image here is the opening scene. That's it.
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