Perfumes (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Guillaume's custody struggle and job pressure

A divorced father, Guillaume Favre, is desperate to win shared custody of his daughter. He must keep his chauffeur job to afford a better place to live. The pressure of custody and financial stability defines his daily choices.

New client: Anne Walberg hires Guillaume as her driver

Guillaume is assigned a high-profile new client, perfume designer Anne Walberg. He initially stands up to her demanding demeanor, a rarity for a chauffeur. Anne asks him to be her sole driver as she takes on a string of jobs across France.

Where

Chauffeur agency

Across France with Anne's scent work

Anne lands a series of scent-focused assignments across France, and Guillaume becomes her exclusive driver. They travel together across the country, navigating demanding assignments and Anne's sharp temperament. The partnership marks the start of a pivotal collaboration.

Where

Various locations in France

Paleolithic cave scent assignment in southern France

At a Paleolithic cave site replica in southern France, they work on capturing and recreating scents. Guillaume witnesses Anne's extraordinary olfactory skill. They push through challenging logistics to complete the project.

Where

Southern France – Paleolithic cave site replica

Masking odour for luxury handbags

Anne is hired to mask an odour delaying the launch of luxury handbags. Guillaume negotiates a higher fee, proposing to double it if she can fix the problem within seven days. The challenge tests their collaboration as deadlines loom.

Where

France (various locations) – handbag project

Restaurant reveal of J'Adore scent

During a business dinner, Anne identifies the five components of the waitress's perfume J'Adore. Guillaume is astonished by her skill. Anne confesses that she invented that scent, underscoring both her talent and fragile ego.

Where

Restaurant

Anne's loneliness and agency party departure

Anne lives alone and craves social contact. She attends her agent's party but leaves on bad terms, and later fires her agent. The social setback highlights her isolation despite professional success.

Where

Agent's party

Night of drinking and loss of smell

Anne spends a night in a bar and returns to her hotel drunk, waking with no sense of smell. She confides to Guillaume that this has happened before. The event foreshadows a turning point in her career.

When

One night after the party

Where

Hotel

Backstory: a failed US perfume project due to smell loss

Four years ago she worked on designing three perfumes for a major US company. She bluffed her way through with no sense of smell, and the third scent failed, ruining her reputation. The episode explains her current fragility and reputation in the industry.

When

Four years ago

Where

United States

Alsace odour problem and hospital rescue

Guillaume is called to assist factory owners in Alsace dealing with noxious odours. Overwhelmed by her smell loss, Anne takes sleeping pills in his car and he speeds her to the hospital at 180 km/h, earning penalties on his license. The crisis intensifies their interdependence.

Where

Alsace and en route to Paris

Hospital aid from Professor Ballester

In the hospital Anne is aided by Professor Patrick Ballester, a specialist in olfactory problems. Guillaume had already called him for help, establishing a medical support line for her condition. The two learn that her sense of smell can return, but only with proper care.

Where

Hospital

Guillaume's agency confrontation and renewed partnership

Missing Guillaume, Anne finds his chauffeur agency and confronts his employer, learning he has a dead-end job driving a lawnmower at an airfield. She persuades him to become her agent again, signaling a renewed professional alliance. He agrees, seeing a path back into the perfume world.

Where

Chauffeur agency / airfield

Grass scent solution for the factory

Guillaume proposes a solution for the factory odour problem: the scent of mown grass, recalling a memory from his childhood. Anne agrees and, off-camera, begins working on implementing the idea. The plan gives the owners a fresh approach to the issue.

Where

Alsace factory

Return to custody hearing and fresh apartment

Using his renewed status and a secured apartment, Guillaume returns to the custody tribunal and wins joint custody of his daughter. The victory marks a personal turning point after years of struggle. The apartment stability reinforces his ability to provide for his family.

Where

Custody tribunal

Dior pitch: end of the journey

The film closes with Guillaume and Anne entering Dior headquarters to pitch new perfumes, symbolizing their professional collaboration and possible future successes. The moment hints at both a personal and career partnership moving forward.

When

Ending

Where

Dior headquarters