Film Information
Film title: The Perfumer of Paris: In Search of the Scent of Happiness (English rendering of the Japanese release title; original title: Les Parfums)
Release year: 2020
Written and directed by: Grégory Magne
Cast: Emmanuelle Devos, Grégory Montel
Film Review
I want to make perfume.
Anne Walberg (from this film)
I don’t need a holiday.
I want to make parfum and eau de toilette!
I’ve spent four whole years making scents for cat litter boxes and car seats!
This is a human drama about a perfumer, with some rather specialist details thanks to Dior’s cooperation with the filming and Hermès’s in-house perfumer Christine Nagel’s supervision. To someone who knows the industry, it seems to portray a perfumer with a strong artistic sensibility but poor communication skills, struggling between work and what she truly wants to do, and trying to change the course of her life little by little under the influence of a driver whose personality is the complete opposite of her own. Seen without any prior knowledge, on the other hand, it offers a glimpse of an aloof perfumer gradually opening up, and of part of a perfumer’s work.
Frankly, I feel it is a little lacking in entertainment value as a film (though perhaps that is very characteristic of French cinema). Or perhaps it is the Japanese title that gives the wrong impression. The original title is simply Les Parfums, literally “Scents.” That sums up the film succinctly, and personally I found myself wondering whether the focus really was on “a perfumer” or “searching for the scent of happiness.” In other words, my impression is that this is a film about how a variety of scents, not just perfumes, affect life and hold meaning for the protagonist.
Emmanuelle Devos’s superb portrayal of a perfumer who feels as though she could really exist is a tour de force. There is no doubt that you can enjoy it even without any knowledge of fragrance.
What do you think this smells of?
Anne Walberg (from this film)
You can work it out.
Breathe in deeply, as though you were smelling a flower.
Clear your mind.
Trust yourself. Just trust yourself.
