Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2012

Your enjoyment of this human-scale sci-fi flick will depend on whether or not you buy in to the central conceit. A mysterious plague is descending upon the earth, causing everyone to lose their ability to perceive the world around them. One by one, slowly and agonizingly, the senses disappear, each preceded by a brief period of intense emotion. First to go is the sense of smell, but only after each person goes through a time of unutterable grief and loss (the sense of smell is closely related to memory). Then taste goes, but not before a phase of overwhelming hunger for a last bite. The latter is particularly disastrous to Ewan McGregor, a chef in an upscale restaurant who is just getting to know his neighbor (Eva Green), an epidemiologist. Their relationship grounds the movie. There is no explanation offered, and no cure forthcoming. This is not Outbreak, or even Contagion. Rather it’s a look at how humanity would react, on an individual level, to such a pandemic. Would we adapt and evolve or revert to primitivism? It’s quite frightening, and, somewhat paradoxically, very sensual. One that will stay with you.