I love this movie so much

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This film, directed by Jan Jakub Kolski, is interesting for several reasons: it compares and contrasts several ideas such as religion and science, draws parallels between a love story in the past and one in the present, and analyzes the lives of all of the main characters. Kolski structures the film by creating several small plot lines, which are linked by the underlying meaning of the film. Kolski further creates a film that is light hearted, which is a venture from the norm of modern cinema. Though this film is light hearted, it does not lack substance and irony, as it carries a message that binds the film neatly together.Jasminum is set in a town in the country, where a monastery is located. In the monastery live five monks, three are striving to achieve sainthood, one is a cook, and the other is the abbot. There is a rich history in the monastery, and this is reflected in the plot; several parallels are drawn between the past and the present, which include a love story and the three monks who are trying to achieve sainthood. These historical parallels are significant to the plot, as well as significant for the meaning of the film. The film posses many themes, some of which would be scents, love, and sainthood. Natasha, a woman who comes to the monastery to revive art within the monastery, is also an amateur chemist who makes both chemicals for the restoration of the paintings as well as scents and perfumes. She constantly searches for the "heart" of the scent, which she is trying to produce in order to induce love for a local hair dresser-gone-friend. Natasha is trying to mimic the scent, which Bird cherry, the monk, carries with him, but she cannot find the heart of the smell. The heart of the scent is found to be jasmine, which is discovered upon the unfolding of a love story that had taken place hundreds of years previous to the story. Jasmine is the smell of a woman who had a love affair with one of the monks in the monastery, and in Natasha's reuniting of the scents, the two dead souls are simultaneously reunited.Another theme in the story is faith versus science, which is portrayed in the restoration of the paintings and interaction between Natasha and prior Kleofas. Natasha comes with modern science as an instrument to physically revive the painting. However prior Kelofas is skeptical of Natasha's restoration and feels that physical scientific restoration will not make anyone pray any harder, as he awaits for a miracle to revive the painting. This instance gives birth to a struggle between religion and science that spans into the search for scents as well as exists in the restoration of the painting. It raises the question, can faith perform the tasks of science or can science perform in the roles of faith? Natasha cannot create her scent without the use of history and religion, as prior Kleofas sees that the paintings can be restored by science and still be viewed as sacred objects. The themes of love, science and religion subtly blend together to create a strong underlying message, which is properly addressed by the title, Jasminum. This film, with its many layers, can appeal to several generations; the relationship between the cook and the child may appeal to children, the love story plot could appeal to an adolescent generation, as the themes can be read and appreciated by older generations. The mass appeal reinforces the fact that the film appeals to many generations, not one exclusively.

Jasminum is a mysterious film that explores the ideas and experiences of love, romance, and friendship in a religious, faith-based context. The viewer is swept back in time to the year 1619, where three mystifying and colorful coffins are housed in the crypt of a small monastery. The film is able to captivate the viewer by slowly explaining the mystery of the coffins and their inhabitants' strange scents clear through the end of the film which takes the setting to modern day Poland. Jasminum has the ability to hold on to the audience's attention because it does not reveal the explanations/answers all at once, but rather continuously builds upon itself as a masterfully crafted story. The audience feels right there beside the characters as they purse a journey of self-discovery while gaining an understanding of their own faith.The modern day characters, Genie and Natasha, bring a wonderful sense of joy and hope to the monastery and the local town. One cannot help but to smile at the sight of the narrator, little Genie. Genie's character offsets that of her mother's. Natasha seemed to be a strong willed woman with many curiosities of her own, struggling to find meaning in a life that has led her down an unknown, unplanned path. Meanwhile Genie stays relatively simple and true to her heart in the film. It is in this simplicity that the mystery is finally revealed. This film is sure to be interesting for viewers because of its brilliant plot and kind-hearted humor. Jasminum is a refreshing change in the history of Polish film. It is not gloomy and does not dwell on a rough past, but rather is colorful and insightful. Instead of portraying the problems and hardships of Polish life, like many famous Polish films of the past have done, Jasminum is more like a fairy tale exploring the brighter sides of the human experience. It may also rejuvenate one's Catholic faith.This film explores many earthly topics as well as those embedded in Catholicism. Such topics are desire, sense of belonging and duty, humility, and most of all love. Every character seeks to find his/her place in this world. This is an easy task for some, much harder for others. A hairdresser Patricia seeks a means to find herself a companion for she is convinced she cannot find it on personality and looks alone. She believes if she can harness the scent of Birdcherry any man could be hers. She epitomizes desire. Three monks, Birdcherry, Sweetcherry, and Plum, have an obligation to carryout their earthly duties in the hopes of performing a miracle, propelling them onto sainthood. They feel comfortable with this path, it is how they exemplify faith and it is what gives them strength and belonging. The audience learns later that Birdcherry and Natasha were once romantically connected in the past and this encounter has forced them both to reevaluate their responsibilities and purpose in life. Monk Sanitas is of course the lovable, and most of all humble cook. This character, if not any other, should be the most inspiring of the film. For thirty years he has been the cook and overall caretaker of the St. Roch Church. He lives the humble life that a monk is generally thought to live. He is innocent and compassionate, especially with Genie. By the close of the film, he wants nothing more than the girl to stay with him so he may play with her and watch little Genie grow up. He never forgets to ask for the Lord's blessing to watch over those in his heart. The last major theme of love may be attributed to Natasha; the chemist who finds out love is more about faith and feeling rather than scientific equations and experiments. Though one might believe to have all the explanations and reasons to life's questions and great mysteries, it is the nature of life and existence that keeps people guessing and searching. Sooner or later, if one has a pure, simple heart like Monk Sanitas or little Genie, life will be sure to reward. The characters that are most pure of heart and soul, like Monk Sanitas and little Genie, do not ask too many questions of God and therefore, do not question their purpose, their faith, and their abilities. On the other hand, those like Patricia are lost in a sea of doubt and unhappiness, that is until they reconnect with their faith, or at least something that give them faith. This film comes highly recommended to any person seeking a fresh outlook on the daily dilemmas they might encounter. Sometimes humans have a way of putting their lives into narrow perspectives containing too many explanations and diluted rationale. Jasminum helps viewers take that much needed step back, a breather. It helps one to understand life is much bigger than the individual while being grateful for the blessings they are granted. All age groups will learn something about themselves by viewing this film, and not only once, but every screening. This film will not put crazy ideas into one's head but rather a better understanding of what it is to be human in the world one lives in.

JasminumThe film is about love: primarily about love or love relationship between a man and a woman. The viewer is gradually introduced first to Patricia's unrequited love to the movie star, and as the story unfolds, also to Jasmina's tragic love story with one of the monks, and finally the unhappy love story of Natasza, the main character. And the movie is about love in a more general sense, or similar feelings between human beings: exemplified in the unusual friendship between the little girl Genia and Brat Zdrówko (Brother Sanitas), or Natasza's friendship with Patricia. Although the topic seems rather trite, "Jasminum" does a good job making it interesting by presenting it in the form of a fairytale for adults. The voice-over narration by a child and the waltz music mainly played by piano set the fairytale atmosphere. Jan Jakub Kolski, the director, obviously has a penchant for light, melodious but slightly sad waltz, as he made use of such music in his previous work "Pornografia (2003)." The difference is that in Pornografia the music is partially diegetic, while in "Jasminum" it is completely non-diegetic. This is because in "Pornografia" the music directly relates to the main character's tragic past. In "Jasminum," on the other hand, the waltz mostly accompanies the young narrator's voice-over, helping to set the atmosphere: tragicomic, sad and comforting at the same time. When doing so, the music also functions as a separator between stages of the plot development, or a symbolic "curtain" between "acts" of the film. As in "Pornografia," tragic love story and secrets from the past are important in Jasminum. The monastery itself holds a tragic love story from the past, and its spell still persists. The spatial setting of a monastery is quite adequate in this context because by definition the setting must separate men and women. Natasza, the altar-painting restorer and perfume maker on the side, turns out to have her own unhappy love story, no matter how absurd: a runaway bridegroom. Patricia, the hairdresser whom Natasza helps, has perhaps the most banal kind of sad love story: unrequited love towards a famous actor. The film, however, treats all of these love stories equally with "a sense of humor and attentiveness" as the director emphasizes in one of the interviews.The precocious narrator Genia is the only person who does not have a tragic love story hidden in the past for obvious reasons. Therefore her narration of the story is fairly objective, with her adorable dryness adding to the humorous aspect. In the end, however, Genia experiences her own version of a sad love story when she must leave Brat Zdrówko.The key to solving all the mysteries of love lies in finding the right aroma. The film is all about magical smell. This extraordinary idea also adds to the fairytale aspect of the film. The important fact is that Natasza's magic perfume works as a love potion only because the love is already there. She merely gives a little boost by caring and acting upon her sympathy. This leads to the final topic of the film: "saintliness," as the director comments.The film's message is that the most important thing between people is love and caring, and acting upon one's caring for another person. When the caring and acting reaches a certain level, it qualifies to be saintliness. The final scene, when Brat Zdrówko becomes a saint, confirms this idea. As the viewers saw in the film, Brat Zdrówko is the one who cares the most, even about the piglets; he is the one who acts the most to take care of the entire monastery, silently and inconspicuously. This final message is conveyed again with "a sense of humor and tender attentiveness" as Zdrówko complains he cannot light the stoves with the stigmata his hands.

It is doubtless thing - you will enjoy that movie much much more if you're Polish. It's obviously not as hermetic as i.e. "Mis", "Sexmisja", but you have to know/feel what's about countryside of Poland nowadays. Anyway, if you are familiar with "magical realism" (either "Chocolate" and "One Hundred Years of Solitude") then you will find yourself extremely happy. I did. And those fragrances.. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer will maybe hit the blockbuster, but I will still feel Yasminum... There are other Kolski's pictures, some of them I remember pretty well ("Jancio Wodnik", "Szabla dla komendanta") - Yasminum is their rightful successor.