← Back to Reviews
in
Perfect Days follows Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho), a humble man that works cleaning public toilets in Tokyo. When he's not working, he spends his time through a daily routine that includes listening music on his cassette tapes, reading, looking at trees and photographing them. The above quote seems to be his mantra, as he remains unfazed by what tomorrow might bring, but rather focused on the little pleasures that today might give him.
Things didn't start that way, though. The film came to be after Wenders was invited by entrepreneur Koji Yanai to observe his Tokyo Toilet project, consisting of more than a dozen public toilets uniquely designed. The main intention was to see if Wenders would make a short film about the facilities, but he had other things in mind. Instead, he took this project and used it as a foundation for this deeply personal and moving story about the simplicities of life.
This is my first Wim Wenders film, a notable blindspot in my movie-watching journey, and I couldn't be more pleased with it. The way he delineates Hirayama's daily routine is great and Yakusho's performance is, for lack of a better word, perfect. Wenders then goes on to contrast Hirayama's way of living with characters like his co-worker, his niece, and his sister, among others, all while patiently revealing little tidbits of his past.
If someone would've told me a film about a guy that cleans public toilets would be this beautiful, I probably would've laughed it off; and yet, here we are. Perfect Days is a beautiful character study and, pun intended, a perfect illustration of regular daily life. What we do, what we give value to, and ultimately how we live our lives *now* in any way that makes us feel complete. A testament to how to face each dawn, each day, each life, and feel good in the end.
Grade:
PERFECT DAYS
(2023, Wenders)
A film whose title starts with the letters O or P ● A film from Wim Wenders
(2023, Wenders)
A film whose title starts with the letters O or P ● A film from Wim Wenders
"Next time is next time. Now is now."
Perfect Days follows Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho), a humble man that works cleaning public toilets in Tokyo. When he's not working, he spends his time through a daily routine that includes listening music on his cassette tapes, reading, looking at trees and photographing them. The above quote seems to be his mantra, as he remains unfazed by what tomorrow might bring, but rather focused on the little pleasures that today might give him.
Things didn't start that way, though. The film came to be after Wenders was invited by entrepreneur Koji Yanai to observe his Tokyo Toilet project, consisting of more than a dozen public toilets uniquely designed. The main intention was to see if Wenders would make a short film about the facilities, but he had other things in mind. Instead, he took this project and used it as a foundation for this deeply personal and moving story about the simplicities of life.
This is my first Wim Wenders film, a notable blindspot in my movie-watching journey, and I couldn't be more pleased with it. The way he delineates Hirayama's daily routine is great and Yakusho's performance is, for lack of a better word, perfect. Wenders then goes on to contrast Hirayama's way of living with characters like his co-worker, his niece, and his sister, among others, all while patiently revealing little tidbits of his past.
If someone would've told me a film about a guy that cleans public toilets would be this beautiful, I probably would've laughed it off; and yet, here we are. Perfect Days is a beautiful character study and, pun intended, a perfect illustration of regular daily life. What we do, what we give value to, and ultimately how we live our lives *now* in any way that makes us feel complete. A testament to how to face each dawn, each day, each life, and feel good in the end.
Grade: