One look at “99 Scents” and you’d think that Albert Maysles (well-known documentarian, with his brother David, for 1969’s “Salesman”) was having a “f**k-around” day. We follow Do Hyun Kim of the 99 Scents Perfume Company, around on his first day as a door-to-door salesman. Unfortunately, at first, he’s not having much like. His first potential customer mistakenly believes that the perfumes are actually $.99 and is surprised when the actual price is revealed. The number of bottles sold, appears on the screen at times too.
Not only are his door-to-door activities followed, but time is also spent with Kim in his car as his rehearses his sales pitch and even tells a fellow driver to stay in his own lane, though the window is up. It is a funny moment in an engrossing short. In regard to Albert Maysles, he might want to pursue this short and stretch it out to a feature-length mockumentary with Keir Serrie. I could definitely see this as a “jokester brother” companion piece to “Salesman”. It’s fine work all around.
