After Saw III, I wanted to watch a good movie. Fortunately, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is that movie and then some. You can say I loved this movie but that would be an understatement. This is sublime, magical filmmaking. Tom Tywker (Run Lola Run) has fashioned a period film where the main character has a nose for everything. When I mean everything, it is really everything.

The movie is spectacular in a way other movies haven't dared to do.....visualizing the smell of scents. Using close-ups, crosscuts, matchcuts, visual effects, Tywker uses everything in his command to show the viewer what smells can do to a person. Apart from the amazing performances of Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman, the standout here is newcomer Ben Whishaw who plays Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. His performance is nothing short of stunning. He isn't an out and out villain but more of a misunderstood character that relies on his olfactory talents to feel the world. The line "follow your nose" has never met a character more than Grenouille.

Apart from the great adapted storyline (which was said to be unfilmable) and great performances, the cinematography here is gorgeous. Instead of using green screens or computer graphics to fill his canvas, Tywker uses actual people and sets and here it is a great advantage. The places we see feel bigger, the people we see feel real, and most of all it has a sense of gravity that lends itself to something bigger, palpable reality.

Because of the dedicated reality that Tywker places his characters, it's as if that the story actually happened (despite it being fiction). From the muddy, disgusting images of Paris to the limitless motivation that Whishaw brings to his character, this is absolutely one of the best films of the year.