DIRECTOR'S NOTE

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Retirement hits everyone differently. For many, it means the loss of social recognition and readjustment of one's social status. It creates a void of purpose in life and can take one a long time to regain balance. This is only harder for a man whose identity is formed through his profession. 

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I witnessed how my father’s involuntary retirement slowly consumed his confidence as well as marginalized him from the family. I wanted to make a film where the audience experiences the insecurity a man goes through during this process. 

 

El Perfumista is shot in California, but the visuals are actually inspired by my childhood memories of Jaca, Spain. That's where I used to spend my summer vacations with my Tia Carmen, who had a big house in the mountains of Los Pirineos, Nothern Spain. I was lucky for being able to replicate the splendid cedar forests and the Spanish house in the film. I set out for a visually nostalgic and poetic tone and used the cello as the only instrument in the scoring to portray the gradual progression of the mental state our protagonist goes through.

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Perfume making is filled with textures, patterns, and colors, yet, it is mysterious for its connection to the sense of smell. It is an invisible art. What happens if one loses his sense of smell? Can he still be a perfumer if he can’t smell anymore? How hard is it to accept such a big loss? How painful, or joyful, is it for a father to see his child reaching his level of success and not being needed anymore? I want this film to answer these questions.

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                          - Paloma Lingwei Chen -