Perfume: The Story of A Murderer

I've been in a movie marathon this weekend. Caught 3 movies in total:

1. Blood Diamond
   
2. Babel
3. Perfume: The Story of A Murderer
   

I'll be sharing all in this blog but for now I'd like to start with Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, because ... it's the last one that I watched :p.

Super Short Synopsis
Based on the best-selling novel, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, about a man, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, whose olfactory (smelling) sense is the strongest of all and his quest in preserving those smell that captivated him, forever.



Tips for those who hasn't watched the movie:

• Be there with open mind. I can't stress how important and crucial this is. There are some stuffs that most people who just can't accept especially morally. Take it you are watching a piece of art and sometimes, art just doesn't know boundary. If you think you can't take it, don't watch. It's pointless to bitch and be so unhappy about a show after you've paid money for it
• As this is a movie about scent and smell, it's definitely to capture its essence and experience through our visual and auditory elements. But try to feel which ever way you can. Be creative and most importantly, be imaginative. Including those which looked super gross ... it's an interesting experience if you just let it be
  
• There are few creepy scenes. Though it's not a horror show but it still gives you the creeps. It's fun though haha ... Better than lousy horror movies for sure. :p ...
  

(WARNING: Spoilers may be lurking but not to the extent it'll spoil your enjoyment if you choose to watch the show)

The Super Short Flow
The first scene, Jean- Baptiste Grenouille, was announced to be sentenced in front of the public by destroying all his limbs on the cross. What happened after that, was his journey towards his goal in creating the ultimate perfume and the continuation from the gruesome announcement.

My Take
I haven't read the novel before but it's so acclaimed that the novel is really good. So I took a look at the last chapter of it yesterday. :p .... And the words are so profound and captivating. But the movie has done it a justice (at least for the last chapter) though there are a few sentences that I think should have been included in. But oh well ... you can go to any book store and read about the last page. As it sums up about the moral of the story.

So what do I learn from this movie:

• Even though you have that invincible power that may allow you to control the world, it all will fall apart when you don't have the ability to love and to be loved
• Self identity is another important message this movie trying to tell. You've to know who you are in whichever way you are defining it and not based on others' definitions. Because when you are not, when even a dog can't sniff the essence of you, you are just another lost soul.
  

Beautiful Quotes
I may not have captured it correctly, but it says something along the line of ...
"The soul of every being, lies in its sense."

Trailer:



Related Link
If you are interested in how the perfumes are being made, I've found a website that went back to Grasse (where the movie took place) and followed the footsteps of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille.