Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

One of the best modern films encompassing a dark, fantastic story, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is artfully done. It is wrought with metaphors and magic realism. The film is about the strange life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a reclusive man born with an extraordinary sense of smell. Set in 18th century France, the film adaptation of Perfume strives just as hard as the fiction novel to relay a theme central to the plot. Using the techniques of lighting, camera angles and distances, director Tom Tykwer explores the theme of Grenouille’s remarkable talent rendering him an angel among humans, who cannot know human love.

This film tells an unusual story that is fresh and different. It draws attention through well-executed techniques to the power of untainted love. The protagonist’s yearning for love he’ll never know is pessimistic yet enlightening. The devices of lighting, camera angles and distances show that he is a stranger to love through reclusiveness; lots of darkness and loose framing surround Grenouille most of the time. Perfume was done very well and is fascinating due to the help of lighting and camera techniques that are more exaggerated than those of many films. It is as mysterious as its main character, leaving audiences in awe. This film presents a deep message about social acceptance and rejection at the cost of divine talent.

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