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 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.