The Mirror Effect of an Illusion: In the Context of "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer"

mhajieva
Sep 15, 2024
6 min read

Since this writing is about a murderer, I suppose it is darker than the previous ones. But isn't darkness just as much a part of the truth as light is?

"Perfume: The Story of a Murderer"

I will discuss the film of the same name, directed by Tom Tykwer, based on Patrick Süskind’s novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. Through this work, I intend to have the courage to face those aspects of human personality that may serve as a mirror for many readers, perhaps not for you.

Here, I should note that the continuation of this text contains information about the content of the work.

Years ago, while watching the film, I felt sympathy for the killer, believing that he had left this world because he couldn’t bear the remorse for his actions.

But now I see that T. Tykwer's romanticized portrayal here is, in fact, as much an illusion as the features of a perfume.

Perfume, in itself, is an illusion.

Like any person, the film's protagonist also experiences an existential crisis. However, Jean-Baptiste associates his existence with scent. We see this in the scene where he confronts his own "odorlessness." The protagonist appears as if he has no scent, but it is still not a fact that he is deprived of it. Perhaps it is a psychosomatic effect, a projection of emotions, or simply a fantastical narrative by the author, but in any case, it is an illusion. The fact that the protagonist can detect the smell of glass but cannot sense his own odor is a sign of his feeling of non-existence.

There is a void within him (the odorlessness of his body), and it has become a necessity for him to fill it (to have a scent) in order to feel his own existence.

Claim to superiority

Jean-Baptiste’s fantastical sense of smell is taken to an extent that cannot be overlooked. He can detect the scent of objects kilometers away, even the odorless glass. Or is there an illusion here as well?

Ultimately, every perpetrator needs an excuse of "superiority" similar to a "master race." Just as people who exhibit violence often hide behind excuses like "childhood trauma," using cause-and-effect reasoning to conceal the truth.

Notice the dialogue between Jean-Baptiste and Dominique Druot when the villain is very close to the exposure of Jeanne's body behind the glass. When Dominique evaluates the scent of distilled water, he says, "I don’t perceive any difference." Perhaps that mysterious fragrance does not actually exist.

People are drawn not to the scent of the droplets possessed by Jean-Baptiste, but to the mystery that is one of the characteristics of serial killers in general.

In every lie, there is a truth, and in every truth, there is a lie. So, what is the lie hidden within Jean-Baptiste's truth?

A lie lasts for 40 days (Azerbaijani proverb).

We all agree that evil is not limited to just murder, right?

To overcome his existential crisis, Jean-Baptiste chooses the creation of perfume as a goal. The desire to create perfume is a truth. His the traces of his lie, however, will be revealed over time as he pursues this goal.

Traces of theft

Theft is typically associated with stealing an object, money, etc. However, it is not limited to material things. For example, Jean-Baptiste:

He does not obtain the consent of the women whose scents he desires; he simply steals their scents.
Despite offering money for the services of a prostitute, he does not take the service but rather her life—committing theft.
He astonishes the crowd gathered for the execution with a trick (taking their minds away with a fragrance) and steals their senses.
When taking people's lives, he steals their existence.
And so on.

The superiority of "I" over everything

The execution scene towards the end of the film remains important. Here, the fact that people can derive pleasure from sexual relations affects and disappoints Jean-Baptiste. As he questions whether things could have been different, he envisions the "plum-girl."

Even in his imagination, he does not consider the possibility that the girl might not love Jean-Baptiste. Instead of questioning and showing interest in the feelings of the other party, Jean-Baptiste is convinced that if he had not taken her life, she would desire him. After all, it is inconceivable that he could be undesired by the other party, right?

If the most effective lie is self-deception, then the most hidden one is the lie hidden from thyself.

Who the judges are! (“Woe from Wit”, Alexander Griboyedov)

Jean-Baptiste is not the only embodiment of cruelty in the film. He has many secret admirers and supporters.

Notice the lack of empathy Jean-Baptiste shows towards Laure's will when he repeatedly responds to her father’s question, "Why did you kill my daughter?" with "I just needed her." Similar as the father himself (Antoine Richis) shows towards his daughter.

Antoine's sorrow over his daughter's loss is not due to her being a victim of murder, but rather because someone else is experiencing the pleasure of this "sacrifice."

Even while "loving" his daughter, he cared not about what she wanted but about what he wanted himself for her own good. It is precisely at the moment he kneels before Jean-Baptiste that he is exposed to the poison of his own arrogance.

Antoine's state of mind is to seek out a scapegoat. This state has no middle ground: he is either above everyone or beneath their feet.

Similarly to the crowd gathered for the execution: under the influence of just a few drops of perfume (the effect of mystery and illusion), they were compelled to sanctify those they had previously demeaned by revealing their hidden admiration.

Not passing judgment does not necessarily mean justifying.

Idolization

The intolerance of uncertainty and mystery drives the human mind towards an object of belief. For some, this object may be a wooden statue, for others, a historical figure, a person they love, or even an idea or thought, while for Jean-Baptiste, this object is a fragrance.

The perfume was Jean-Baptiste's idol. And Jean-Baptiste himself had become the idol of those gathered to judge him.

"The perfect sacrifice"

Antoine raises his daughter by instilling in her the insignificance of her own will. Even when Laure is being killed, her scream is not heard. As she opens her eyes and looks at the murderer, it's as if she feels nothing, not even fear. Because she has learned one thing — her feelings don't matter.

I wonder if Laure, in her final moments, fell for the world her father had taught her, believing that her own will was of no importance. Or did she resist, trying to survive? – I don't think so.

The defeat of the Enlightenment

As I see, the work also criticizes the Enlightenment ideals within the realms of cruelty and immorality.

When imagining the "plum-girl" during the execution scene, Jean-Baptiste realizes that he does not actually derive pleasure from creating perfume or from the act of making love to the gathered crowd. He experiences an enlightenment similar to what Enlightenment thinkers aimed to achieve in individuals and societies.

However, this enlightenment does not divert him from his path. On the contrary, it makes him advance with even greater certainty towards his goal. True to his nature, he completes his life with another murder, just as the crowd that judged him continues their lives as if nothing had happened after their experience of pornography.

The only effect that Enlightenment can have on cruelty is to produce more "intellectual" tyrants.

It is easy to become a scholar, but hard to become a human. (Azerbaijani proverb)

Greed

So, what does Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, as an example of a tyrant, want from this life?— He wants to experience what any benefactor feels when doing good for others. If it must have a name, let’s call it pleasure.

However, Jean-Baptiste's craving for this pleasure is cursed by greed. Just as the greed of a benefactor can turn them into a martyr, the insatiability of a tyrant drives them to sacrifice others.

On his deathbed, he tells his mentor that he wishes to learn "how to capture a scent and repeat it indefinitely." In this statement, "scent" symbolizes the pleasure he derives from each murder, a pleasure that fades with every instance.

While experiencing enlightenment in front of the crowd with the vision of the "plum-girl," he already knows that what he truly desires and derives pleasure from is not making perfume, but the act of murder itself.

Why do you think would he prefer a new form of murder that he had never experienced before while there are so many living beings he could murder?

This time, Jean-Baptiste chooses a form of murder that allows him to preserve his "scent" for a longer period than before — a long and torturous form of murder: his own.

Conclusion

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, despite its dark content, speaks of the unity of admiration and hatred — a form of passion. This passion is directed towards an illusion which in the end is revealed as our mirror.

In life, some people become enamored with an idea, a historical figure, a lover, an heirloom, a profession, an activity, etc., whether platonic or romantic. However, while some accept the depletion of passion as a loss, others choose to sacrifice themselves or others for it.