Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Clocking in at just under two-and-a-half hours, Tom Tykwer's strange adaptation of Patrick Süskind's bizarre novel is an ambitious, visually stunning portrait of overwhelming obsession that—like its source—keeps the viewer somewhat detached (especially since the plot centers on the one sense that cinema has the greatest difficulty conveying—the olfactory). Set in 18th-century France, the story revolves around the nearly mute Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw), a man with the most sensitive nose in the world who is determined to recreate the perfect scent (which he experienced earlier after an encounter with a beautiful street-merchant, whom he accidentally killed in an effort to possess her aroma). Like a lesser Frankenstein, Jean-Baptiste utilizes the technique of effleurage (liquefying odors from the petals of flowers) to distill the scent of femininity (and, by extension, love) from the bodies of the young women he kills, becoming particularly transfixed with an angelic creature who's the daughter of a rich merchant. Although somewhat affected and pretentious, Perfume—which features a supporting cast that includes Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, and John Hurt—is also genuinely intoxicating and perversely fascinating. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include “The Story of Perfume” behind-the-scenes featurette (14 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for an interesting film, overall.] (F. Swietek)