This post includes a brief plot summary and an explanation about the ending of the film “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” (2006).
Directed by Tom Tykwer, the 2006 drama is based on a novel of the same name written by Patrick Süskind. The film stars Ben Whishaw as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. Today’s post is solely based on the film, not the novel. Beware of spoilers.
“Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” tells the story of a young man (Jean-Baptiste Grenouille) who was born with an amazing sense of smell. One day, he runs into a young woman (Plum Girl) and becomes fascinated by her smell. While chasing the scent, Grenouille accidentally kills “Plum Girl”. Ever since her death, Grenouille has become obsessed with recreating her smell.
What Happens in “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” (Plot Explained)
In his quest to learn more about the art of mixing and preserving scents, Grenouille seeks the help of a well-known perfumer, Giuseppe Baldini. The latter takes Grenouille in as an apprentice after he acknowledges his amazing gift. During his time with Baldini, Grenouille learns the method of distillation to capture a scent. However, this particular technique does not work on objects or living beings.
Grenouille decides to leave his mentor and move to Grasse to expand his knowledge. During his journey, Grenouille finds out that he has no personal scent. The realization leaves the young man quite unsettled. On his way to Grasse, Grenouille stumbles upon the scent of Laura Richis. Once again, he finds himself enamoured with this young woman’s smell. Grenouille follows Laura to her house. She is the daughter of a very wealthy man named Antoine Richis.
While working in Grasse, Grenouille learns the method of enfleurage to preserve a scent. There are two variants of this technique: hot and cold. And the young man finds that the latter captures one’s scent better. As a result, Grenouille started murdering several women, causing massive panic in the town. The remaining piece for his perfume would be Laura.
Meanwhile, the local authorities claim that they have found the serial killer. However, Antoine is still fearful for his daughter’s safety. Therefore, he secretly leaves the town and takes Laura with him. Despite Antoine’s efforts to protect his daughter, Grenouille ends up finding her. Shortly after Laura’s murder, the police arrest Grenouille right after he finishes creating his perfume.
On the day of his execution, Grenouille puts on a few drops of his perfume. The scent alone is powerful enough to enchant the crowd and make them worship him. Even Antoine himself surrenders to the perfume’s spell and forgives Grenouille. As the crowd engages in a massive love-making fest, Grenouille leaves the premises and walks away as a free man.
The Ending of “Perfume” Explained
The ending of “Perfume” shows Grenouille heading back to his birthplace. At the local fish market, he pours the rest of his perfume on himself. The others around him become bewitched by the intoxicating smell. Unable to control themselves, the crowd surrounds Grenouille, and they eat him. After that, everyone returns to their normal lives as if nothing had happened.
Despite having enough perfume to rule the world, Grenouille decided to turn his back on all of that. Instead of that, he sacrificed himself to a crowd of strangers, putting an end to his life. So what is the meaning behind the ending of “Perfume”? The ending of “Perfume” means that Grenouille came to the profound realization that his creation could not make him love himself and that he was not capable of loving others. As a result, the young man decided to end his life, at the place where it all started.
The love, respect and adoration from the people were not real. They were under the “spell” of the “magical” fragrance. This made Grenouille somehow disenchanted with his own creation. It didn’t help him achieve what he wanted: being loved and being able to love someone. After losing the desire to continue living, the young man pours on himself the rest of the perfume and sacrifices himself to a starving crowd.
There is also a strong symbolism behind the ending of “Perfume”. Grenouille’s obsession with creating the ultimate perfume ended up consuming the man himself. In the end, his own creation led to his demise. Also, the people who ate Grenouille ended up destroying their object of desire and losing their humanity in the process.
“Perfume” and its ending remind the audience that while beauty can be alluring and powerful, it also comes with a destructive side. Beauty itself is not harmful, but it incites feelings of desire and obsession in people, which can lead to dire consequences.
Last but not least, the final scene of Perfume shows that Grenouille’s bottle is not completely empty, there is still one tiny drop in it. Now, what is the significance behind it? Paris is widely known for being the “city of love”. The final drop at the end of “Perfume” plays with the idea that maybe Grenouille’s creation made Paris earn its romantic reputation as the “city of love”.
What does the perfume represent to Jean-Baptiste Grenouille?
The protagonist of “Perfume” uses scent to identify things and people. In Grenouille’s case, he has no personal scent, which to him is the equivalent of having no identity. For Grenouille, this was the most devastating realization of his life. The young man equated his condition to the indifference that people have shown him throughout his entire life.
In a quest to change the status quo, Grenouille tries to create his own personal scent. He figured out that if he smelled “beautifully”, people would treat him differently. That might explain why Grenouille was so desperate to create the ultimate perfume. In the beginning, the young man truly believed that the “magic” fragrance would show him a new world. More specifically, it would allow him to experience what he has been lacking most of his life: love and adoration.
Final Thoughts
Personally, “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” is one of my all-time favourites. Despite my love for the film, not everyone shares the same opinion. As a matter of fact, the film met with a lot of controversy upon its release. Some accused the director of glamorizing a murderer. And I strongly disagree. The protagonist is a murderer, and the film is indeed beautiful. However, a good execution of the film does not equate to condoning the actions of the main character.
There are a couple of reasons why I find this film unique. First of all, the story. On a surface level, it seems to be about a maniac who kills several women with no remorse just to make a perfume. However, once the viewer learns more about the protagonist, they will soon realize that it’s so much more than that.
Second, the cinematography is beautiful. The film revolves around the world of scents, but it’s very hard to capture or even express that on camera. However, the director, Tom Tykwer, managed to do it in a very enticing manner.
Third, the soundtrack is, for lack of a better word… perfect. It’s the cherry on top of an already amazing cake. The music just takes the film’s atmosphere to another level. Also, it’s the final piece that makes the story truly haunting, in my opinion.
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is a murderer and his actions are inexcusable. As I mentioned before, “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” is a work of art. The whole film is a feast for the eyes and the ears. Now, does that mean that Tom Tykwer is trying to make the protagonist look good and somehow trying to justify his actions? Personally, I don’t think that was the intention.
All the things mentioned above are the reasons why I find “Perfume: The Story of a Murder” great. The film is capable of evoking all types of feelings in its audience: curiosity, joy, anger and fear. Some might say that Jean-Baptiste is a tortured artist in his own twisted way. His talent is also his curse.
Very few can tap into the mind of an individual who is deeply passionate about scents. However, most of us can understand the feeling of being passionate about something. In Grenouille’s case, his passion also became his ultimate obsession. He went above and beyond to fuel his new found purpose in life.
The story of “Perfume: The Story of a Murder” is not for everyone. However, those who haven’t watched it yet should definitely give it a try. It will make you reflect on your current moral values and what life itself means to you.
