Perfume: A Story of a Murderer

Welcome back for another review from, LSR. I’m your host – Mosa, and today we’ll be reviewing a movie recommended to me by a friend of mine by the name of Perfume: A Story of a Murderer.

The film is an adaptation of Patrick Suskind’s crime drama fantasy novel that was released in 1985, centered on a young man by the name of Jean Baptiste, who was born in France during the 1800s.

However, Jean Baptiste was not your ordinary kind of boy – he was born with an extraordinary acute sense of smell that allowed him to see and view the world from a different perspective which would eventually lead to obsession and murder.

The obsession comes from what you would normally refer to as love at first sight, however, with Jean Baptist’s special case it’s more accurate to say it was love at first smell.

You see, Jean Baptist was born in the overcrowded street markets of France, where the smell of dead fish and waste resided hand-in-hand, and was raised as an orphan due to his mother being sentenced to death for leaving him unattended.

From an early age, Jean Baptist was seen as different from the other kids but never was he hated for it. He knew that he was different and didn’t try to get along with others because his sense of smell was all he needed until he smelt the pleasure of sweet aromas.

One day, during a golden opportunity to walk the center of town, Jean Baptist smelt a fragrance like nothing he’d ever smelt before and out of nosiness became obsessed with the ability to capture scent from beautiful women, resorting to even murder when the girls would not allow him to do so willingly.

Though his obsession to create the perfect perfume was installed onto him by another, the entire story of Perfume is a tale about obsession and love.

Jean Baptist is played by Ben Whishaw and his rendition of the young man is riveting. He gives you just enough of every emotion of what he’s thinking or feeling at that very moment that he doesn’t need to say anything.

It’s captivating to see the lengths that this young man is willing to go through to achieve his goal, very well knowing the hardships that may plague his journey along the road.

I know it’s crazy to say, but Jean Baptist isn’t some angry man who has some score to settle with women because his mother didn’t love him whatsoever, no – he kills simply out of necessity. Crazy I know but it’s true.

Pacing wise, I think the Director Tom Tykwer did an amazing job with all three acts which first tell you about Jean’s upbringing, how he came to be s serial murder of beautiful women, and to conclude, why he resorted to it and the answers he found at the end of it all.

All three acts were done spectacularly and never once did I find the film to be boring or poorly paced. Every scene has its weight of gold to the overall message and significance of the story, making you appreciate the scene that you may not again see in 2023.

As for the finale, let’s just say I was blown away depending on the particular scene that we’re talking about.

In regards to the execution, I found it incredibly laughable when you take into account that every antiperspirant product that you see on TV in 2023 is pushing for the exact effects that we see on a completely different scale.

One could say Patrick Suskind perhaps knew the future of cologne and antiperspirant products or the entire reason behind them from the beginning.

One could say it’s brainwashing, others could say it’s control, who knows?

To conclude my review of Perfume: A Story of a Murderer – I certainly enjoyed this soft thriller. There is a comedic element to it when you consider some of the things done during this time and the reactions of everyone involved.

Its beginning is probably the darkest side to it for animal lovers, but for those that enjoy a long meaningful means to an end, I think this film would be great when given the chance.

I give Perfume: A Story of a Murderer a 4.3 out of 5 rating.

Thank you to Katlego for the incredible recommendation.

Let me know in the comments section below whether you agree or disagree with my review of Perfume: A Story of a Murder and let’s get the conversation started.

Love to hear of your recommendation.

Until next time, stay blessed.