Scent of a Women (Review)

SPOILER ALERT

"Women. Who made them? God must be a genius." The Colonel gives a poetic description of women. It may have even sounded a little dirty to Charlie. But what the colonel indirectly says is “Women are what's keeping me alive”. Charlie answers “I guess you really like women”. “Oh! Above all things." He makes a pause and then continues "...with a very very distant second is a Ferrari."

"Scent of a Woman" is a moving story that revives the interest anyone would have lost in living.

Charlie Simms, a High School senior with a scholarship, decides to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with a blind veteran as part of a weekend job. It ends up being a live changing experience for both Colonel Slade and Charlie, where they learn to value the things that should matter the most in life.

Even though the whole screenplay is a master piece and the direction, music and scenography takes our breath away; nothing seems more captivating to me than the Oscar deserving performance by Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell at the hotel room after a heated discussion.

The plan Slade shared with Charlie at the beginning of the movie is finally going to be executed: Colonel Slade is about to take his own life. He sends Charlie to buy some cigars, but before going out of the Hotel he has a feeling that he should return to the room. When he does, he finds Colonel Slade wearing his uniform with a gun in his hand, ready for the trigger to be pulled. Charlie, alarmed, struggles to take away the gun to prevent the tragic scene to go on.

The whole weekend, Colonel Slade had done his very best to feel alive again. Despite his efforts, he is constantly reminded that he is blind, and he's no longer the man he used to be. Not even a ride on a Ferrari gave him his life back. There was nothing left for him. "I'm rotten." he stated. "What life? I got no life! I'm in the dark here! You Understand? I'm in the dark!" he yelled. Of course, Charlie didn't understand, but he was still brave, wise and strong enough to confront him and give him two good reasons to stay alive: he could dance the Tango and drive a Ferrari better than anyone he'd ever seen. "Tango on" he encourages him.

"Would you please give me the gun?” Charlie insisted. Perhaps nothing of what Charlie said before hit Slade's heart like those words, to which Colonel Slade answers" You're asking an officer to surrender his sidearm.” Charlie knew perfectly that he was asking Colonel Slade to forget for a moment that he was indeed and officer. Colonel Slade had probably never seen him

self as nothing but a Colonel, for when he could not see anymore, that one thing that identified him was gone. What else would he be but a soldier? What good could he do? Charlie managed to comfort him and everyone who has ever felt like Colonel Slade: “You don't have to surrender it, you just put it down for a while."

Colonel Slade was still himself, he just needed to forget for a while that the gun was his sidearm, that he was a war hero. He, for a while just needed to remember what he was without a gun. He was still somebody: A Tango dancer and a Ferrari driver, with or without a gun; with or without vision. From that moment on, he would never feel less of a soldier for not being able to pull a gun, nor less of a man for not being able to see. There were still women out there and tons of Ferraris waiting for him to decide to live.

To all the people who feel like nothing without their guns: I hope these lines help you realize that even though you might not feel yourself, you can find yourself again. May we all find our women to love, our Tango to dance and our Ferraris to drive. Tango on!