Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

It is possible that Ben U loves this movie all out of proportion, and I liked it far more than I should have (it slides in to my #5 spot for the year, thus far). Because it is a flawed, bizarre film, not really great by any standard, but absolutely one of the most enjoyable and original films I have seen this year. It actually evokes all the senses strongly, but its ability to suggest smell even while the viewer is actually surrounded by the stench of stale popcorn and strangers’ body odor is something extraordinary. It proceeds with all the magical inevitability of a particularly sinister fairy tale, although it is not, as Ebert puts it, “a dark, dark, dark film.” I’d leave it at one dark. It is lovably dark.

Still, it is an erratic, mercurial thing. The ending (*spoilerish*) — not the very end, which I thought fitting, but the execution scene — was unpersuasive and unsatisfying. Unimaginative. Big let-down on the climax. Confused Still, it’s a grand time for long stretches. Whishaw is very, very good; I enjoy, as ever, Hoffman’s peculiar choices in roles of late; and Rickman, what can I say? Rickman is always a tasty treat.

So — definitely recommended, and lots of bonus points for originality and general delightfulness.

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