Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer ****

"Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" is a good time at the movies-a horror movie of the rarest kind, the kind dealing with human nature and behavior, and also one that is very funny. Director Tom Tykwer takes a look at France in the way that Sofia Coppola would have been dropping her jaw-as its the exact opposite of the pastel pink that was "Marie Anotinette." Tykwer does something that is somewhat rare when it comes to me and the movies. He managed to make me never take my eyes off the screen, and never even check my cell phone once to see what time it was. I have checked my watch in the middle of eighty-one minute flicks, and this one-coming just shy of two and a half hours-I didn't have the urge to see how much longer was left once. "Perfume" is great because of the entertainment that it gives-it tells a great story and it does a fantastic job of doing it. I wouldn't put it first in line for awards consideration, but it's one of the best ways to end the year, and it's a worthy film for the high profile films that are normally around this time of year.

"Perfume" takes place in 18th century France, where we meet Jean-Baptiste Genouille (Ben Wishaw). Jean Baptiste's mother was a merchant in France, and had her baby very quickly under the table with all of her items. She believes that her baby is stillborn, and decides to leave it there for disposal later. However, something remarkable happens. Jean Baptiste is stirred to life by the various smells in the market-the dead fish, the maggots, the dirt, the feces-and his crying catches the interest of people passing by. All of them notice the baby crying, and decide to have the mother hanged for her negligence. Jean Baptiste is raised as an orphan, and scares the other kids. After being sold as a slave, Jean Baptiste returns to the marketplace where he was born, where he learns something amazing about himself. He has a terrific sense of smell, and he could smell everything from the different between wet stones and warm stones, baby frog and adult frog, and cold water and warm water. Not knowing the words for many of the things that he smells is a disadvantage for him. One night, while walking in the streets, Jean Baptiste ends up catching the smell of a beautiful red haired woman selling fruit. Jean Baptiste follows her to a secluded area where she catches him smelling her, and when they are almost seen by a couple of passerbyers, Jean Baptiste accidentally strangles her. The scent, whatever it was, is gone. Jean Baptiste decides that he must know how to keep scent alive forever, and decides to go into the perfume business. He finds the best way to do it is to become the apprentice to Guiseppe Baldini (Dustin Hoffman). Baldini is apprehensive at first, and then he realizes that Guiseppe Baldini can duplicate the most popular perfume in France just by giving it a slight whiff.

Baldini cannot help him create the best scent possible, but he does give him a little bit of advice on how to achieve paradise in smell. Each perfume has three parts, with four sections in each part. But for a truly memorable perfume there has to be a thirteenth part, which is exactly what Jean Baptiste keeps in mind when he learns that murder is the best way to create the best perfume. He kills young girls, thirteen will be ultimate goal, covers them in animal fat, letting them stay in a giant encasement covered in water for a while, and then washing away the fat he can capture their smell, and keeps them in little bottles. The final component will be Laura, the most beautiful girl in the town, who has hair redder than the first victim, and the daughter of the most powerful man in the land-Richis(Alan Rickman).

The plot summary for "Perfume" is a bit longer than usual, but there is a lot of back story here. Tykwer doesn't mind lingering for while on Jean Baptiste's past, and it certainly does make him a more complete character. Even his perfume training doesn't mind, and if this is really how perfumers created perfume back then, then I really did learn something. Jean Baptiste is a serial killer of the strangest kind as he never touches his victims in a sexual nature. All of his victims are virgins, as once a woman has sex she looses her "scent." It's an interesting concept that is a bit subtle, and I needed a little extra push to catch on to that. "Perfume" is very dark, and while it is indeed a horror film it also is a dark comedy-and if you aren't paying careful attention you'll miss the humor. Ben Winshaw is perfect as Jean Baptiste, which is a tricky role considering most of it is silent. Jean Baptiste doesn't really know the words to most things, so instead of wasting his words he only speaks when it is necessary. He'd rather use other senses to try and convey how he feels. Alan Rickman is, as usual, right on, as are the rest of the cast. My only quip, and with the film is general, is Dustin Hoffman, who is extremely miscast. I have a feeling that they only needed a big star to fill some kind of studio requirement, but Hoffman is so out of place here that even he seems to know it. He overacts at times, and seeing him in the period garb as this very Italian perfumer was almost comical. He is only in a small portion of the film, and while it is still entertaining and well written, he does stick out like a sore thumb.

"Perfume" requires you to suspend belief a little bit-well a lot-a-bit. After all, look at how Jean Baptiste finds out to preserve scent. Animal fat? Letting them soak in water for a while before draining the fat off? It is a bit unbelievable, but it's supposed to be. After all, is it really believable for someone to have super human scent. The third act also delves into the unreal, but by then you're watching the screen in awe, that you would take anything that happens. It's extremely strange, and somewhat over the top, but it's also not predictable, and it catches you by surprise. In the end, "Perfume" is a lot of fun. It is directed very well by Twyker, it is visually stunning, and it hooks you from the very start. It's also quite obvious that Morgan Freeman and John Hurt need to have some kind of a standoff when it comes to narration, because I really don't know which one does it better. This is one of those last minute films that manages to sneak just under the radar at the end of the year, but that doesn't make it any less great. "Perfume" is a real winner, and one of the darkest and most entertaining films of the year.