Directed by:
Wim WendersCinematography:
Franz LustigCast:
Kōji Yakusho, 田中泯, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Yumi Asou, Sayuri Ishikawa, 三浦友和, Ron Mizuma, Bunmei Harada, Shunsuke Miura, Gan Furukawa (more)VOD (3)
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From acclaimed writer-director Wim Wenders, Perfect Days takes the writer-director to Tokyo to tell a story celebrating the hidden joys ofJapanese culture. Koji Yakusho stars as Hirayama, a contemplative middle-aged man who lives a life of modesty and serenity, spending his days balancing his job as a dutiful caretaker of Tokyo's numerous public toilets with his passion for music, literature and photography. As we join him on his structured daily routine, a series of unexpected encounters gradually begin to reveal a hidden past that lies behind his otherwise content and harmonious life. Combining a refreshingly unstereotypical depiction of the Japanese capital with a soundtrack comprised of iconic hits from the 60s and 80s, this is a subtle, shimmering and ultimately life-affirming reflection on finding beauty in the everyday world around us. (MUBI)
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This poetic glimpse into the daily life of a Tokyo toilet cleaner flows like a documentary at first, but as the runtime progresses, plot lines enter the picture. The complicated family relationships are definitely more interesting in this case than the hysterical bachelor of Japan's Generation Z. As the storyline grew, I felt like Wenders was promising even greater things, only they never come. Everything extraordinary gradually fizzles out into the ether and all that's left is another routine day. Immediately after the credits, I had a slight problem with this, but after more than a week, I'm more forgiving. Not every drama needs to have an immediate denouement when it comes to everyday life. And that's what Perfect Days presents in textbook fashion.
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Perfect Days is a pleasant film about the joy we get from life despite all of the obstacles that it places in our path. The main character is an eternally positive man for whom cleaning toilets in Tokyo is not a degrading job, because he understands its importance in society. And he views society and the people in it with love and respect. Wim Wenders knows how to interestingly tell us about such a protagonist’s everyday life and by gradually revealing the past through the characters that appear in the plot and the properly chosen familiar songs, he is able to define the protagonist’s inner state of mind. There is always a bit of sadness behind every cheerful façade. Japanese actor Kōji Yakusho turns in a great performance, as he succeeds in expressing more without words than he would with them. [Cannes FF]
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