Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
Obsession and the pursuit of greatness in the most seductive way.
Presentation:
A man born with supernatural scent pursuing the ultimate scent turns dark while attempting to capture and bottle it for perfume. The film is quite beautiful actually, in terms of the costume, time period, cinematography, and most importantly the women. The premise is quite irresistible relying on the assumption that audiences are perverted. Perhaps Fincher was right all along.
Story:
This is quite a seductive and sexy film, pursuing women for the sake of their scent. Obsession films seem to have some dark allure, Black Swan, Whiplash, this one is quite similar in that regard but romanticizes the pursuit instead. The punchline is quite obscene but very fun if you don't take this film very serious. Perhaps this film is meant more of a folktale or legend, but it still graces the screen with a worthwhile experience.
Conclusion:
There's a metaphor here somewhere, but there are many liberties and plot holes for the sake of the vision of this story that may leave some disconnect if you take this story very seriously. We personally enjoyed this one, but I can see this being a confusing recommendation for some.
Hannibal Lecter is best watched with a side of fava beans.