Tom Tykwer

Yes, I think there is--we took that idea quite serious: that there is an artist in a very difficult, let's say, in kind of an exaggerated obsessive mode.

By the time the mad finale rolls around, the viewer will feel had, for Perfume grasps for significance where there is none to be found.

With its investigation (and a few expertly conceived action set pieces), The International builds a compelling case.

The Wachowskis and Tykwer are determined to make you understand eternity, and in that and only that, they succeed: by the time you get to the film’s endless series of endings, you’ll feel as if you’ve lived lifetimes.