Perfumed Nightmare was a film that stayed with me even after I had watched it. For awhile I couldn’t really pinpoint what exactly it was that made me continue to think about it, but before writing this blog post I realized it was the way it critiqued Western culture. Over the course of my college career, I have taken classes, read articles and watched other films that critiqued Western culture in the same way but nothing has stood out to me as much as this film. I think the reason for this resonance is because the film is part of the Third Cinema genre.
One of the aspects of Third Cinema is that it does not follow the traditional Hollywood format of movies. Perfumed Nightmare grabs your attention right away because it opens with short scenes of a poor looking town in the Philippines. There is a voiceover of the main character but it never really tells you definitely what the movie is about. In stereotypical Hollywood movies, you know who the main character is after usually the first scene and you can basically predict what the storyline will consist of.
Another aspect of Third Cinema is its critique on the capitalist system. Perfumed Nightmare does this most obviously when the main character travels from his hometown in the Philippines to France. It really resonated with me when Kidlat Tahimik was so astonished by the “moving floor” and “doors that open for you.” By the end of his stay in France, you can tell that his euphoria over Western culture is gone. He questions why people need this much excess in their lives and ends up going back to the Philippines.
Third Cinema allowed Perfumed Nightmare to seem very authentic and was like a snapshot of the real lives of real people. I think that if it had been a Hollywood movie, yes, maybe I would have taken the message that Western culture can be excessive away with me. But I think by the sheer ruggedness with which the film was portrayed gave it more meaning and ended up staying in my mind long after the story was over.
This film also really resonated with me as well primarily for the same reason. The films I have seen that are critical of western culture never seem to place an individual from the un-industrial society into industrial society and I think this is what made it interesting for me. I agree seeing something different from typical Hollywood films is nice, it seemed to just present the world as it is and not add any glamorous effects. An interesting scene that strays outside the typical Hollywood scenes I thought was the one of the old man trying to straighten that bar by striking it by hammer one hit at a time. I felt this to be a powerful scene for presenting the world as it is. To me it gave the feeling that, that man had been doing that for probably a long time. I thought the criticism of capitalism was interesting as well. Especially as I just touched on the scene where they talk of the car factory, but maybe even more important is the supermarket and the comparison between that and local vendors. In the end the realistic perspective was able to hit home. This film was not one that you watch and forget about after, its presentation exemplifies real life and this is why I believe the movie is able to stick with most people.
I agree! This movie was really interesting in that it had a very unique perspective on western culture. One that most of us have not really seen/ thought about. What I found the most interesting is the way that they portrayed the American in the movie. I don’t know about everyone else, but that guy was not a very accurate depiction of what we are like over here. It really made me think about what kinds of stereotypes there are for us around the world. We see stereotypes of other cultures and are quite familiar with them, but when the tables were turned on us, it was really interesting to think about how we are seen by the rest of the world. Another interesting contrast that I found was the difference in the lifestyles of the people in the Philippines and that of the people in France.
I think your analysis of Third Cinema throughout the film is very accurate and highlights many of the reasons The Perfumed Nightmare is such a compelling film. The issues it addresses have a much realer feel because it strays from the hollywood type feel many films embody. Early on in the film I picked up on the short shots that took place and the way that it affected my opinion of what was going on. Although at times it was hard to follow due to the voiceover and these short shots, I also felt that the emotions evoked and the authenticity of the film were much greater because of these aspects. Overall, I think your post was well written and gave a good and thorough analysis of Third Cinema in The Perfumed Nightmare.
I must agree with what you have written in your blog post. The way that this movie was filmed always leaves me with this impression that it is an autobiography of sorts. As you say, it is like a snapshot of real life. Excluding the more exaggerated scenes such as Kidlat flying away at the end, so many of the scenes appear real and that made this movie stick with me. Without these real lifelike scenes this movie would have very little impact. It would be more like that of a comedy that no one takes seriously. One of the ideas that struck me from what I read about this film maker is the fact that Kidlat had attended a top business school in the US and was probably much more capable of making a more sophisticated film in terms of technique. He seems to have deliberately chosen to make his film in an almost “home movie” (snapshots of real life) style to create an “underground cinema” feel to the movie. In doing this he perhaps creates something more political, almost propaganda in style and something more effective in reaching his desired audience. What at first appears unsophisticated is, on closer inspection, very sophisticated. Or am I reading too much into this and giving Kidlat too much credit?
I completely agree with you. At first while watching this film I had a hard time understanding where it was going. But as soon as they got to France and he met the lady in the market, I could see the point. Isn’t it pretty interesting how a film like this can make us feel convicted of our western lifestyle? I find it very intriguing that just based off of someone’s opinion of our culture it can make us feel guilty of the way we were born and raised. This movie really made me think about all of the excess that is in my life, and even though I have yet to change any aspect of my life, it still hit home pretty hard! Great post.
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