Her Smell (2018)

(On Cable TV, March 2020) I took me a while to get to Her Smell, even though it was an easy film to notice… albeit for all the wrong reasons: When I freely associate a punk band with olfactory sense, I don’t exactly get something that smells of roses. (Just look at that poster.) Fortunately, Her Smell doesn’t stink. (Heeey, who just revoked my pun licence?) It revolves around Elizabeth Moss, who delivers a strong performance as the leader of a punk group throughout her self-destructive behaviour. Strongly structured along five acts sometimes set years apart, we get to see our protagonist and her “Something She” group on the decline as the pressures of a tour get to everyone; throughout a disastrous studio session; at the nadir of her career; quietly recuperating at home; and then staging a comeback reunion set. The rise, fall and comeback of a musical act isn’t exactly a new story, but Her Smell tackles the topic with a decidedly anti-glamorous stance. The personal challenges of being a musician are clearly shown, as is the protagonist’s often unbearable behaviour in a warts-and-all look at the challenges of a driven but toxic personality. Writer-director Alex Ross Perry keeps the camera close to his actors as they argue in confined spaces—the claustrophobia is real, as is the sensation of being stuck in close quarters with someone we’d rather run away from. At 135 minutes, the film feels much longer than it already is, not helped by very uneven material that’s not reined in. Still, even in a crowded field of musical biographies following the same arc (some of them even real!), Her Smell stands out. Oh, and the title is explained at the end of the film—it’s much nicer than my initial guess was.