I'm not great with World Cinema. I bought Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon years ago and its still in the cellophane wrap.
However, there is one film that stands out for me that I adore and would happily sit down and watch again right now if I didn't have dinner to cook, washing to do etc. That film is Perfume: The Story of Murderer (2006).
It is a German film, set in 18th Century France. It tells the story, in flashback, of a strange chap, Jean Baptiste Grenouille, with a highly refined sense of smell.
I was totally hooked after an early scene depicting his brutal birth in a fish market.
It is a story of obsession - Grenouille's obsession to create the perfect perfume. It leads him to commit murder but you never think that the character is evil. The girls that he kills have to be sacrificed in order to extract their perfume. It was simply part of the process.
Grenouille is reminiscent of a young Hannibal Lector in terms of his social detatchment, absolute genius and the tragedy of his life.
The incredible orgy scene at the end of the film when he unleashes his olfactory masterpiece on the crowd who have come to see him executed is something that stuck with me long after the closing credits. A visually beautiful film and a powerful story.
I am lost for words on that one!! Even had to look up the word olfactory - shame on me x
ReplyDeleteOoo looks interesting! Will check it out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking hun - I know it's a hard week, as nowhere near as many people have joined in :) x