Review of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) by Kartik A — 01 Aug 2010

Perfume:The Story of a Murderer. Well, to start with, the movie deals with a subject which is otherwise very difficult and sensitive to handle. But Kudos to Tom Tykwer who does a great job of giving the film its mystic look. Perfume is not just a story, but its something beyond that. It's a tale of Obsession, of Dedication, of Art and of Passion. The movie has been very aesthetically shot. The lighting and the props have been used well. The locations in Spain, Germany and Paris were feast for the eyes. The fields of lavender and the streets of the Grasse were exotic. As for the photography, the film does very well.

But the film loses its track in the second half of the story. The dialogues don't seem to be captivating, often sometimes seem foolish. The background score is well composed which holds the movie on the track, but some betterment would have been appreciated when it came to picturising the Olfactory sequences. The film started getting weak when it came to killing of women for 12 scents, for I felt the reason wasn't justified as to why those scents could be collected at random and why Laura was chosen for the 13th scent.

The movie begins with a charm, gets powerful as Jean-Baptiste Grenuoille's olfactory senses grow stronger, but fades away towards the end. The film can be watched for its locales, the photograhy, and yeah performance by Ben Whishaw as Jean-Baptiste.Kudos to Tom Tykwer for having managed to handle such a sensitive topic with a great subtlety. And Frank Griebe has done an equally good job. The narration by John Hurt was captivating.