Perfect Days
Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.
- Released:
- Runtime: 125 minutes
- Genre: Drama
- Stars: Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Tomokazu Miura, Aoi Yamada, Min Tanaka, Yumi Asou, Sayuri Ishikawa, Arisa Nakano, Masahiro Koumoto, Daigo Matsui, Tateto Serizawa, Tamae Ando, Morio Agata, Morooka Moro, Motomi Makiguchi, Mijika Nagai, Long Mizuma, Yuriko Kawasaki, Bunmei Harada, Gan Furukawa
- Director: Wim Wenders
Comments
- masonfisk - 29 June 2024
QUIET PERFECTION...!
From last year comes Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire/The Buena Vista Social Club) latest where a gentle man, Koji Yaskusho, lives his best gentle life. Opening & playing out like a documentary we follow Yakusho structured existence as he goes about his day as a public restroom cleaner where he treats the most menial of jobs like the gentlest of occupations in existence where his only means of annoyance, if you can call it that since Yakusho takes everything in stride, is his younger co-worker, Tokio Emoto, who wants to sell Yakusho's prized cassette collection for some quick, desperate cash which Yakusho demurs to. Gleaning some details of his life here & there, we kind of get his backstory when Yakusho's niece, Arisa Nakano, comes for a forced visit after she's had a row w/her mother, Yakusho's sister. W/some great needle drops strewn throughout the narrative (presumably from Yakusho's collection) & Yakusho's zen like perf (which won him the acting award at Cannes), this film is akin to ASMR for the soul which lets the easy going wisp of a narrative work its magic over the viewer which strangely says so much w/so little. - THE-BEACON-OF-MOVIES-RAFA - 7 June 2024
JAPANESE ( A+ Movie) My Ratings 9 /10
NOT FOR EVERYONE.
It's amazing how you can get so much depth from a film when there's so little dialogue. I've always been drawn to these day in the life stories and this one makes you appreciate the things we take for granted. A beautiful and poetic film. Charming and profound. A gentle journey with a likeable protagonist as he makes a series of encounters through his work and personal life. Nice soundtrack that reinforces the plot well and collaged dream sequences that underscore the events. And some great public toilets that the West can only wish for...
Poetry in motion. Mindfulness on film. Next time is next time, now is now. - chand-suhas - 25 May 2024
Next time is next time. Now is now.
Hirayama has stuck to his daily routine and works as a toilet cleaner. His daily routine includes his passion for the plants and photography along with his collection of audio cassettes, ending the day at the diner. He has an associate Takashi is the opposite of him, trying to impress a girl. Hirayama is happy with his solitude and the limited set of people in his life along with a stranger, he plays tic tac toe. Hirayama's niece shows up one day unannounced and it is these each set of events that gets added to Hirayama's already structured life, is what makes it his perfect days.
Koji Yakusho's portrayal of Hirayama is the true highlight of this film and that final shot of him listening "feeling good" song while emoting various emotions alone commands for a re-watch. As much as I kept liking this film, those last 15mins took it to another level and I couldn't stop myself from loving this film. It's the moments Hirayama finds happiness in and has no complaints about his life. Even the reveal about his equation with his own family, doesn't deviate for a subplot on his past. Those were the perfect days he was living - happy, sad or dull, I could connect with Hirayama instantly. Then that final act involving the casual talk that doesn't get dramatized instead turns into a shadow tag game followed by the terrific climatic shot, it wa just perfect. I strongly recommend this gem to everyone.
