Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
2006
***
Director: Tom Tykwer
Cast: Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Karoline Herfurth, Corinna Harfouch, Paul Berrondo
It has taken 21 years to bring Patrick Süskind's acclaimed but "unfilmable" novel to the screen. Its protagonist Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is an orphan who grows up with an extraordinary sense of smell. He trains as a perfumer and becomes obsessed with creating the perfect scent, which involves killing young virgins and preserving their odour. The story is incredible - dark, inventive and out of this world - and Tom Tykwer has visualised the sights, sounds and smells of 18th century France to the smallest detail. However, the film is long and there's a whiff of self-importance and silliness to the whole endeavour. Grenouille should be an enigmatic character, but he comes across as a loveless and sexless freak.
