MovieChat Forums > Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2007) Discussion > How can someone *enjoy* this movie

How can someone enjoy this movie

posted 15 years ago by santaatsea
75 replies | jump to latest

Ok, first of all. I think the movie is brilliantly made, the cinematographics is gorgeous, and evocative (how hard can it be to translate scent to images), and the actors are brilliant, directing is brilliant...

that being said, I would rather have a tooth extraction then see this movie again. It is a horrible story, not in the sense that it's badly made, it's quite geniously made, but it's not possible to enjoy it unless you ARE an actual psychopath.

Any normal person can't empathise with the murderer, how *can* you. How can you not empathise with the murdered women, be revolted at the idea that redheaded virgins are pure and smell nice and should be bottled up, and have their bodies be thrown out like trash after they were "used". Any normal person would be completely revolted, and wish the man caught, and put out of his misery (because he is not in any way reformable).

Except the more you watch, the more women are killed, and their families destroyed, and the city scared into insanity, and finally, one of the victims, of which we are shown enough to start caring for, .... is killed to. The killer wins. :|. Yay, I'm feeling incredibly artisticly pleased now...not.

That being said, I'm not unaccustomed to watching movies where the lead characters are people who you feel no empathy too. An anti-hero can be done very well, I don't require that good wins, and that bad loses, that's stuff for kids or people who don't realise the world isn't such a cosy place. Take fpr example Oz, or Deadwood, virtually no redeemable characters, but because it's a deep story, with many layers, and great character portrayal, you enjoy being faced with their challenges, and exploring their thoughts, even if you don't care for them. Even if someone is a "bad person" they still have to face the same issues as everybody else.

But in Perfume, there's nothing deep about the story. It's all superficial, and indulgent. Pretty lace, and pretty imagery, and the completely egotistical exploring of the world by scent the killer...and that's it. There's no rhyme or reason to what he does. There's no higher goal, or even sliver of humanity left in him. The story is just so....empty. Except the gruesome and again indulgent portrayal of the murders and disposal of the bodies.

THAT BEING SAID.... this went quite further then showing a grim reality as it was. Up until the very end, it was simply a grim realistic portrayal of a killer's mind, and his world. Fascinating, scary, repulsive, but still, interesting....

...and then turns out the killer's insane brain workings are right? What the EFF? How can you paint murder so realistically and brutal, and then give it an ending only an actual killer could warm up to. I mean, for goodness sake, validating what he did changed my disgust from the killer and took me out of the story into just shaking my head and wondering what the writer was thinking. What is the purpose of making it seem like the perfume of distilled dead GIRLS is good enough to change the mind of a grief stricken father into loving the murderer. How sick can you get and for what purpose then to make a story as sick as possible? Why not make the father become sexually attracted to the killer too, and to blow him on the spot, for added shock factor.

And it's so JARRING. 90% of the movie is realistic, and then we're thrown into a world that functions to the beat of a mad man. I don't think so.

I had no intention of watching a killer's wet dream. And this can only be described as such. The same way a moral person would watch a story where the clear implications of a immoral act paints it as something repulsive...this is a SICK story, where a killer's acts are justified by finding some use to his murders.

Phew. Anyways, I'm still disgusted. The movie has left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It reminds me of a colleague of mine who gets a kick out of looking at pictures of mangled bodies, and murder scene photos. But at least he doesn't sugarcoat it and call it "enjoyment of art". Can I ask, what exactly do people ENJOY out of the story? Can you LIKE the murderer? Why and how?

[–] DennisAlexis 14 years ago

Even though it's not a favourite of mine, I have to say I enjoyed watching it. It's interesting and beautiful in a strange way. That does NOT mean I think what he did was right, you know. ;)

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[–] Tomthespacetraveler 13 years ago

Yes, I was disgusted by all the things he thought and did, but I felt sorry for him at the same time. I tend to enjoy movies like this, that make you confused about which side you should be cheering for. (The Prestige, Black Death)

"This isn't TV, it's real life. Can't you tell the difference?"
"Sure - I just like TV better."

[–] klschmidt 13 years ago

I have to agree. I could not suspend my disbelief enough to find any pleasure in this movie, as much as it pains me to say that about ANYTHING that Alan Rickman is a part of. Even to the point of the loving father thinking what happened to his daughter was OK in the long run...*shakes head*

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Faramir: Good speech, nice and short
Boromir: Leaves more time for drinking...

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] freradical 13 years ago

I can enjoy the holy *beep* out of a movie, even if it has Hannibal Lecter in it. I REALLY enjoyed The Exorcist, and it practically co-stars Satan himself! I guess that makes me a Satan-worshipping people muncher. Seriously, though, why are you so hung up on trying to convince people that liking this movie is such a depravity? Me? I think you are the one with sick tendencies.

[–] sarizonana 13 years ago

Ok first I'm gonna clear up I haven't seen this film, I got into this board because I just watched Quills, and from somewhere i knew this is similar to Quills and with opinions of everyone who liked this movie I see I wasn't that wrong.

Now
Some Villians are likeable because of the actors who play them.
Maybe the actor in this film is extremley charismatic that everyone is finding reasons or excuses to like and Justffy the main character.

Like I said before I saw Quills i liked it and as deeply as I knew the Marquise is not a good person I still liked him because of how Geoffrey Rush portrayed him, and you know what? you don't have to be a psychopath to a like Villian another monster I've liked is Haniball Lecter and that doesn't make me and people who like him a psycho.

As long as you can difference right or wrong, I think there nothing bad in enjoying or finding interesting this type of films and Main characters.

[–] glasgow1975 13 years ago

how on earth can you even presume to comment on, let alone launch a whole thread about, a movie you haven't even seen?
to think the good people here actually tried to explain it to you. . .
*rolls eyes* talk about effin retarded.

[–] sarizonana 13 years ago

any why its necesary to be so rude and call someone retarded when i was more generalizing of why people like a mean main characters in films

if you read my post i said since the begining i was supousing of why people liked it based on my knowlage of other movies where the main character is an antiheroe.

[–] renata77 11 years ago

The person you replied to, sarizonana, did not start this thread, s/he merely commented on it.

[–] amanda_mauno 13 years ago

I think the story is very interesting, not that I support his acts or anything, I think it is an interesting story of a "cursed" man's life in 18th century France. The filming angles and the scenery and how all the locations looks so real. The acting is good as well even if most of the actors play minor roles and don't have as much screentime. This film is very unique as well. I felt very much sympathy with the victims actually especially Laura, I thought she would live. I don't like the murderer, but at some points you can feel like you are "a part of him". You follow his life from the moment he is born to the very last moment of his life and you can feel you are a part of the story. You dive into it and you put the real world behind you.The music is just superb as well and really makes you "think" (if you know what I mean). I think the film is disturbing, yes and the worst parts of the film is when Richis find Laura dead and when Jean-Baptise uses his final perfume on the crowd. Yeah, a bit werid. I'm more cool with the film now, but I haven't seen it after I turned 18. I saw it the first time when I was 14 (I watched it alone as well). This film is not for everyone, as my mother hate it (even if she is a huge fan of Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman, like me). The story is also very interesting. Patrick Süskind goes into detail very well and they somehow manage to capture that on the silver screen (or the DVD disc in my case :P)

I will say that this film can be categorized as a fictional period mystery thriller. Also after watching the film and reading the book, I looked at the world in a whole new perspective. I became more curious abot the world around me. i think this film (if not reading the book as well) is one of the greatest films that have influenced me in a very good way!

[–] sconymack-307-594235 12 years ago

You are an ignorant person.