Mully Blog

Under discussion:

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer  (2006)

8/10

Perfume smells wonderful

In 18th century Paris, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born without a scent of his own. He does however develop a superior sense of smell and learns to discern every minute odor that surrounds him. His greatest goal in life is to have smelled everything there is to smell in the world, until he discovers the most sublime of all the scents in a young girl. When he accidentally kills her and loses her scent forever, Grenouille dedicates his life to recreating and forever conserving this most sublime of smells, and he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

Perfume is based on the immensely succesful novel by Patrick Süskind, which I have greatly enjoyed reading. The novel was often deemed impossible to be turned into a film, which is something I never really agreed with as I thought Süskind’s descriptions of sights to be nearly as overwhelming as his descriptions of smells. The main reason it was deemed unfilmable was that the medium of film would be unable to convey the sense of smell. By that logic the same can be said about paper and ink. Director Tom Tykwer does a more than admirable job at bringing 18th century France and the plethora of smells of that world to the screen, from the disgusting smells of the fishmarkets and tanneries of Paris, to the gorgeous scent of lavendar fields in Provence. This alone makes Perfume a film worth seeing, but there is more.

Süskind’s novel has more to offer than vivid descriptions of smells. I wouldn’t have finished it otherwise. Perfume offers one of the most intrigueing and deeply disturbing plots you’re likely to see all year. A word of warning might be in order for those who haven’t read the novel : even though Tykwer first immerses you in a visual incarnation of the world of smell and makes you sympathise with the unusual protagonist, in the film’s second half things take a very dark turn in a way not everyone might appreciate (though the film’s subtitle “The Story of a Murderer” might have given a hint to the more perceptive spectator). After the screening I attended, I heard a lot of murmur around me and my curious ears caught a lot of “...didn’t like the second half”s, and “...not my kind of movie”s. I guess your enjoyment of this film depends largely on your willingness to accept its basic premise, namely that the character of Grenouille has such a fine nose that he can smell a blade of grass miles away and this allows him to create scents unlike the world has ever experienced. Grenouille’s abilities are so spectacular even that Perfume almost wouldn’t be misplaced in the recent line of comic book movies, or he as a member of the X-Men. If you accept that Grenouille has this amazing ability without asking questions, the rest of the film will probably feel right. If you don’t and are bothered by things you can’t comprehend, the film’s second half will in all probability feel awkward and vile.

I loved Perfume. Tom Tykwer turned one of my favorite novels into a truly excellent film. Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman deliver fine performances, but it is Ben Wishaw in his screen debut as Grenouille that steals the show. He is an extremely talented actor that perfectly incorporates Grenouille in all his awkwardness and out-of-this-worldliness. See Perfume for his performance, for its unique attampt at bringing smells to life on the big screen and for its dark and intrigueing story of a truly extraordinary man.