Perfume

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Whinsaw) is a murderer like no other. Equipped with an acute sense of smell, Grenouille stalks his young female victims in search of the perfect scent. Based on the best selling novel by Patrick Süskind, Perfume is set in the heart of 18th century Paris. It charts Grenouille’s harrowing birth amongst the entrails of a fishmonger, to his steep climb to an apprentice at a perfumery and climaxes in his sharp, yet tragic fall from grace. If Grenouille ever possessed any grace, that is.

A complex and provocative story as Perfume requires attention to detail and a great deal of care. The weight of expectation caused by the millions of readers who have delighted in Süskind's words, and the subject of scent in the cinematic medium, were always going to prove difficult obstacles for any director. By bringing in the experienced faces of Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman to support the young Ben Whishaw in his debut title role, the director (Tom Tykwer) is able to commit himself fully to the development of this gruesome, yet oddly satisfying tale.

The film stays remarkably faithful to the author's vision, perfectly summoning up the ominous atmosphere characteristic to the novel. The camera angles, music and imagery of the movie all aid in the portrayal of the sense of smell on the big screen, which is not an easy feat. Along with themes of desire, pleasure, isolation and, of course, murder, Perfume is a story without heroes. Yet you’ll be captivated from the beginning by the sensually delicate way in which Tykwer adapts the intricate and intoxicating character of Grenouille onto the big screen, aided by Whinshaw’s superb performance as the troubled individual.

Dark, surreal and certainly original, Perfume is like no other film you’ll watch this year.

Laura Summers