Sunday, June 9, 2013

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Dustin Hoffman, John Hurt

More info: IMDb

Tagline: He lived to find beauty. He killed to possess it.

Plot: Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in the stench of eighteenth century Paris, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he tries to preserve scents in the search for the ultimate perfume.


My rating: 9/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

What a magnificently beautiful serial killer film.  That's right.  It's the most gently lyrical film to date about a serial killer.  The film is leisurely paced which might turn off some folks but if you truly like to get lost in a picture for two and a half hours in a time and place that feels real, this is for you.  The execution scene near the end was so beautiful that it had me all wrapped up in emotion.  Then there's the coda the brings the picture to a close.  Nice.  But it doesn't stop there.  The music (by Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek & Tom Tykwer) over the closing credits (like the film) is gorgeous, peaceful and soft until the final notes which seem to disappear.  It's the kind of end credit sequence that makes you feel like sitting in silence for a while afterward and soak in everything you've seen and heard until you break the silence and get on with your life.  There aren't many films that do that and I savour each one I encounter.



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