Quote:
The central character isn't just deranged, he's impossible to like or to identify with.


Why must the central character be possible to like or identify with? Are you unable to enjoy stories about people who are not like you? I find this especially curious in someone who is interested in the cinema of the strange and the weird. This particular film is clearly intended to be disturbing, not comforting. It is not meant to validate the existence of the average audience member---except very indirectly, as we realize how much worse off other people can be.

I liked PERFUME a lot, and for me the climactic scene discussed above was indeed the highpoint of the film.