On the surface, this is a costume drama with a serial killer angle, but it’s much more complex than that, and much more entertaining. Built on a high-concept idea Hollywood would build a blockbuster on, either a superhero or a romantic comedy. The pitch is our main character has the greatest sense of smell of anyone who ever walked this earth. He uses the ability to become the master of perfume, but there’s an emptiness in his life, something missing. A girl he once knew who possessed what he believed to be the most perfect odor. His life’s work becomes the quest to recapture that perfection.
As the film’s center, Grenouille (Ben Wishaw) makes for a perfect blank slate. Always pushed around, and reacting to the actions of others, Grenouille speaks very little and nobody else in the film is even aware of his dreams, desires or ultimate plans. There’s a pronounced antichrist aspect to his character. Those who encounter him often find success followed by unexpected misfortune. He’s also incredibly resilient against disease and squalor. His road to murder starts in absolute innocence, a murder that also fuels his ultimate quest.
The film’s viler aspects turned off some people. I appreciate that we don’t get a soft-peddled version of the story. The heinous living conditions are realistically depicted, and Tykwer never makes aberrant behavior seem less so. Grenouille is not a hero, but a quiet monster. He kills with a purpose, and has no remorse for his action. He doesn’t want to kill, but he isn’t reluctant either. A man obsessed who carries his life’s work to its extreme end. It’s a masterpiece.
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