THE PERFUMIER on Netflix is a new German thriller (org. title Der Parfumeur) based on the familiar story by Patrick Süskind. And yes, this is related to the Netflix series, but only in the slightest way. Please read our full The Perfumier movie review here!
Let me be perfectly honest. I was desperately disappointed in this movie. Despite the title, this movie is about another character, and I could not care less about that story. The storytelling in this thriller is all over the place, and you really should know the basic story ahead of time. Otherwise, good luck keeping up!
Continue reading our The Perfumier movie review below. The film premieres on Netflix on September 21, 2022. Admittedly, I was looking forward to seeing this movie, so maybe I just expected too much. I had a strange feeling this wouldn’t work too well, so I didn’t expect that much. And yet, I was very disappointed because the new Netflix movie The Perfumist is one big mess!
At first, we jump right into not one but two stories. This means a strangely jumbled and fast-paced beginning which leads to moments that are slow-burn and others that are just plain boring. Mind you; this movie is only 96 minutes long, so that is almost an accomplishment in itself.
If only this movie had actually been about The Perfumist as the title promised. Instead, we get a story mainly about a female detective chasing the killer, who we all know is the perfume maker. Well, if you’re familiar with the story in Patrick Süskind’s novel. Otherwise, you’ll have to try and keep up!
This detective is named “Sunny”, and she’s portrayed by Emilia Schüle (Treadstone). I have nothing wrong to say about this actor, but the character is just plain dull in this story.
Sunny is in a relationship with her colleague Juro played by Robert Finster, who was great when he played the title role in the Netflix series Freud, but he’s just dull here. Juro is sometimes in a relationship with Sunny and sometimes back with the mother of his two children, Rosa, and I could not care less about all this.
Where is my story about the serial killer, The Perfumist?
Well, it’s in there somewhere, but only when we get to take time off from all this drama.
Is The Perfumist movie connected to the Perfume series?
Yes, the new Netflix movie The Perfumist is connected to the Perfume series on Netflix. While the series was great at keeping the dark vibe and focusing on the darker aspects of human nature and the power of desire over love, this movie is not.
The connection between the two titles is one character, Moritz de Vries.
And yes, Moritz de Vries is played by August Diehl here in The Perfumist, just as the character was in the Perfume series. However, it seems more like an added afterthought than anything of fundamental importance to the story. Seeing August Diehl lends some star-power quality to the movie, but that’s about it. A cameo, basically!
Nothing would have changed in the story if Moritz de Vries hadn’t been in the movie. In this new 2022 movie, the perfume serial killer is Dorian (though his birthname is Noah, which made me think of Dark).
Dorian is played by Ludwig Simon, who does an excellent job. It’s just that his character doesn’t get nearly enough time. So much of his story is told in flashbacks or an offhand comment. It’s weird and a damn shame!
Watch The Perfumist on Netflix… or don’t!
Nils Wilbrandt is the director and co-writer (with Kim Zimmerman) of The Perfumist movie on Netflix. Usually, Nils Wilbrandt writes and directs various German crime and drama series. And it shows!
You can watch The Perfumist on Netflix if you want this little afterthought to the genuinely amazing Perfume series. However, don’t expect anything better than a bad episode of a mediocre (at best!) crime series. If you haven’t watched the Netflix series Perfume (org. title Parfume), you’ll want to watch that.
Or watch the 2006 movie starring Ben Whishaw and Dustin Hoffman. Watch both that movie and the Netflix series. They’re so different; watching one won’t spoil the other anyway.
However, watching this latest Netflix movie might make you want to stay away from any version of Patrick Süskind’s story, which would be a shame. If you want to watch something new about a serial killer, then check out the Netflix series DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, released on this very same day, instead!
The Perfumist is out on Netflix from September 21, 2022.
Details
Director: Nils Willbrandt
Writers: Nils Willbrandt, Kim Zimmermann
Stars: Sólveig Arnarsdóttir, August Diehl, Robert Finster, Anne Müller, Emilia Schüle, Ludwig Simon
Summary
A female detective who’s lost her sense of smell steals a potion from a deranged perfume maker, who kills to create the perfect concoction, to hold on to the man she believes she loves and later joins forces with the perfume maker to regain her sense of smell.
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