The Five Senses
| The Five Senses | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jeremy Podeswa |
| Produced by |
Camelia Frieberg Jeremy Podeswa |
| Written by | Jeremy Podeswa |
| Starring |
Mary-Louise Parker Pascale Bussières Brendan Fletcher Richard Clarkin |
| Music by |
Alexina Louie Alex Pauk |
| Cinematography | Gregory Middleton |
| Edited by | Wiebke Von Carolsfeld |
Release dates |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English/French/Italian |
The Five Senses is a 1999 Canadian drama film directed, written and produced by Jeremy Podeswa.
Plot
The Five Senses is about interconnected stories linked by a building which examine situations involving the five senses. Touch is represented by Ruth Seraph, a massage therapist who is treating Anna Miller. Ruth's daughter Rachel accidentally loses Anna's pre-school daughter, Amy Lee, in the park, when Rachel is distracted by the sight of a couple making love in the woods. Rachel meets a voyeur named Rupert (vision), and they become friends as fellow outsiders while he teaches her the pleasure of observing others. They eventually go to one of Rachel's hiding places, where she has him dress like a woman.
Meanwhile, Ruth tries to help Anna cope with the disappearance of Amy Lee and stays the night at her home. Robert, a professional housecleaner, has an acute sense of smell, and seeks out the people he used to see to absorb their scents and see if he can smell any feeling for him or why they stopped caring for him. His professional clients include his friends Raymond and Rebecca, who makes perfume. Robert's friend Rona, a cake maker, has lost her sense of taste, and has romantic problems after Roberto, whom she met on a vacation in Italy, arrives. Dr. Richard Jacob, an older optometrist, is losing his hearing and wants to remember all the sounds before he goes deaf. He had separated from his wife Sylvie, but later connects to a woman named Gail (Pascale Bussières) who helps him to cope and feel better about himself. In the end, Amy Lee is found, and Ruth and Rachel are reconciled.
Cast
- Mary-Louise Parker - Rona
- Gabrielle Rose - Ruth Seraph
- Molly Parker - Anna Miller
- Daniel MacIvor - Robert
- Philippe Volter - Dr. Richard Jacob
- Nadia Litz - Rachel Seraph
- Brendan Fletcher - Rupert
- Marco Leonardi - Roberto
- Pascale Bussières - Gail
- Tara Rosling - Rebecca
- Richard Clarkin - Raymond
- Elize Frances Stolk - Amy Lee Miller
Awards
- 2000 Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction (Podeswa)
- 1999 Toronto International Film Festival Best Canadian Feature Film (Podeswa)