Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

cardboardmafia 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.

zlorgle The film Jasminum made both positive and negative impressions, but overall was enjoyable to watch. The production is aesthetically very good, with attractive settings, music, and characters. It was often difficult to figure out what was happening and why, however, and the film's final message was somewhat ambiguous. Kolski's habitual style of "magical realism" was evident throughout the film, affecting the director's development of characters and backgrounds as well as theme.The fairy-tale-like atmosphere of this film entailed the use of characters who lacked any particular depth. Kolski's story did not delve much into the personal thoughts and developments of any individuals, focusing rather on their interactions as symbolic types. Most characters were used to represent particular feelings or aspects of the human character; they were symbolic types rather than developing beings. Patricia, the blond hairdresser, was portrayed as a somewhat shallow woman desperate for a partner, Sanitas as a monk simply following his orders and duty, and even Natasha's inner troubles were probed very little. The Father, also, did not act his part with any particular religious inspiration; nor did either of the brothers who were there together with Birdcherry.The monastic setting, too, seemed chosen primarily for its archaic and magical appeal, for the film was surprisingly devoid of religious expression given its overt placement in a monastery. This could be the director's active judgment on the worth of monastic life (as is hinted when all three of the brothers come out of their silence and admit they don't really know what they're doing there), but it is more likely that the monastery is simply used as a nice background for the various love stories with little religious connotation.These outward symbols clearly designate Jasminum as a fairy tale, but what the tale is actually about is more difficult to say. Part of what keeps the film interesting is that the viewer spends a good deal of time trying to figure out the plot and understand the message. One of the film's major themes was clearly related to love. Just what Kolski was trying to say about love was not entirely obvious, however, or at least one hopes that he had some deeper thoughts about love than those that came out most strongly. The intertwining of the ghostly Jasmine's love story with numerous subplots, her involvement with the monastery since its beginnings, and the sainting of Sanitas after he brought about her reunion with her lover all point to the centrality of her theme in which lovers are united despite great obstacles. The story of Patricia's infatuation with her actor was introduced rather late in the film, yet had become one of the central subplots by the end. In a sense her story is the central one, representing the triumph of love (so-called) that so many other characters desire. As such, Kolski paints a rather depressing picture of love. The actor, who was portrayed as a rude and unpleasant man, suddenly fell madly in love with the hairdresser after being exposed to the right perfume. Rather than treating this as a shallow love or allowing Patricia any sort of realizations about her lover's nature, the director uses the story of their union to parallel the true love epitomized in the "reunion" of the bodies of Jasmine and the original Birdcherry.While Brother Sanitas was portrayed as a good man, it was somewhat unclear why he was chosen to become a saint. Since general goodness did not seem to be valued so highly in this film as love, it seems likely that he was made a saint for his role in leading Natasha to Jasmine's body and thus causing the two dead lovers to be reunited.The best thing about this film in my opinion was its aesthetics: beautiful music, idyllic setting, and attractive characters. These traits make it appealing to audiences who enjoy a film as an artistic experience. The somewhat difficult plot may discourage viewers who don't want to expend a lot of effort to follow it. If one takes Jasminum's theme of love too seriously, it may come across as disappointingly fatalistic and shallow. Kolski's film is best appreciated as a fairy tale.

Mike Red Well....to be honest I am a huge fan of Masters Gayos and Peczka so their participation was the main force that made me to get JASMINUM and my God! the movie is AMAZING! From the beginning to the end...I was embraced by a cascade of colors, sounds and scents...yes - SCENTS for as one of previous reviewers said - You can literally FEEL the scent of the mysterious fragrances! I'd compare my impressions to those I got after watching "Amelie Poulain". Sound - amazing Picture - incredible Actors - superb! Without a doubt I can predict a bright future to Polish cinematography if there would be more that one of a kind (IMO - so far) movie I am talking about! If you are looking for something different, if you are tired to the all like Hollywood "matrix" movies - JASMINUM is the very right answer!

valar-4 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.