The Five Senses

REVIEW
The film starts off airless and finishes up with an open feeling as each of the characters discovers something new about themselves through the senses. For the sense of smell, Robert (MacIvor- last seen in Beefcake) is a sublime, very gay, housekeeper of immaculate, smell free homes. His particular favorite is the home of a perfume designer and her very sexy gay-curious husband, whose shelves are lined with exquisite glass bottles filled with miraculous scents. The sense of touch is shown by Ruth Seraph (Rose), a massage therapist with a troubled daughter Rachel (Litz). A client, Anna Miller (Parker) comes in with her daughter Elize (Miller) to get a massage. Elize is antsy so they send teenage Rachel out to the park with her. Rachel becomes distracted by two people making love in the woods and she loses track of her charge. The search and worry over the missing girl are the unifying threads of the film. She is caught peeping by Rupert (Fletcher) a young, probably gay, voyeur whom she befriends, they have a common interest- peeping. Rupert takes her to spot in the park where gay men have sex and her wellspring is opened. Mary-Louise Parker does an excellent job with her character, who refuses to open up to a hunky Italian lover; taste is the key to her heart. Of the five male characters in the film, three are gay or bisexual. A rich and wonderful film with an extraordinary ensemble cast, unusual structure, appealing soundtrack and a great story.