Movie Watch: Perfume - The Story Of A Murderer

Perfume is an odd corner of cinema. It's wonderfully shot, stars a handful of notable actors (including Dennis Hoffman), has a tight and interesting story and most people probably have never heard of it. The movie follows the life of perfume journeyman John-Baptiste who has "the greatest nose in the world". While that might sound like possibly the most dull concept in the world, read the subtitle again. Baptiste is a man who enters life in a gruesome way, lives abused and outcast and seeks desperately for the ability to cling on to the one thing he understands, aroma, in what quickly turns into brutal ways.

The main problem with Perfume isn't that it will bore you, but that the tone can feel to topple between drama and horror without submitting to either one. At time there are even moments which feel not necessarily light, but the narrative adds a kind of whimsical feel. Still, while not entirely unpredictable, Perfume will grab you with its unique plot and keep you until the end.

And again, the visuals are lush here. One of the curious things about HD is that a good DVD can upscale to the point where you might think it's Blu-Ray if the source material is good enough. Perfume is that kind of film.