Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born into the squalor of 18th century Paris but with an extraordinary sense of smell. He learns to distinguish and catalog scents with unnerving precision, and that talent leads him from street markets to the workshop of an aging perfumer. Seeking methods to capture and preserve aromas, he pursues knowledge beyond the ordinary, driven by an idea of the perfect fragrance. As his techniques sharpen, his fascination darkens into an obsessive attempt to bottle an ultimate scent, and the film watches how his single-minded ambition reshapes his life and those around him without revealing every consequence.

Released in 2006, the movie was directed by Tom Tykwer and adapted from Patrick Süskind's novel, with Bernd Eichinger and Andrew Birkin among the creative team. Ben Whishaw headlines, joined by Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, and a voiceover by John Hurt.

It reached international audiences with an artful, adult-oriented marketing push. The film was not a mainstream blockbuster but maintained a steady theatrical presence across Europe and other territories.

The picture made an impression for treating scent as a cinematic element, using striking visual sequences to suggest what cannot be smelled on screen. Those memorable moments and the film's unsettling mood helped it stand out in discussions about sensory storytelling and period cinema.

Critical response was mixed to positive, with many reviewers highlighting Ben Whishaw's performance and the film's lush production design; audience ratings average 7.366/10 from 4,854 votes. Major themes include obsession, the relation between identity and perception, and how sensory experience can translate into influence and desire, all rendered in a dark, morally ambiguous style.