Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

Perfume asks you to spend 147 minutes inside the head of a man who barely talks and does terrible things, and it’s hard to look away. Ben Whishaw plays Grenouille like a stray animal with the world’s best nose, and Tom Tykwer makes you almost smell every frame. Dustin Hoffman shows up as a washed-up Italian perfumer with a big wig and a bigger accent, and he’s having more fun than anyone in the movie. Alan Rickman brings real fear as a father who senses danger before anyone else. The crimes at the center are handled coldly and from a distance, which keeps it watchable and keeps you from feeling much. Then the finale goes so far over the top that people argue about it. It made $135 million worldwide on a reported $60M, but just $2.22 million of that was domestic. A 6.7 because it’s a gorgeous, strange fable that’s easier to admire than to enjoy. $2,637 says you sniff a candle at the store this week and stand there way too long trying to name every note.

What works: Ben Whishaw is haunting with almost no dialogue, and the movie makes you feel smells through the screen, which is a strange and impressive trick.

What doesn’t: It’s long and repetitive in the middle, and it keeps its main character at such a cold distance that you never feel much for anyone.

Who it’s for: Viewers who like dark, strange period fables and don’t need to like the person they’re following.