Perfect Days

Years ago i took my friend's daughter to see a movie adaptation of 'the secret garden' because i wanted to share a book i had loved as a child. When my mom asked what she thought of the movie, her response was 'mostly... it was about a garden.' well, 'perfect days' is mostly about a man who cleans toilets - albeit with extreme efficiency and thoroughness. He has a simple, well-ordered existence that follows a comfortable routine until people start inserting themselves into his life.

This is not an action-packed bombastic story, but you may find yourself thinking about your own life and envying someone who greets each new day with a smile. A well-deserved best actor prize for koji yakusho at the 2023 cannes film festival.

Yes, the movie about the guy cleaning toilets in Japan for two hours is up there among the best of 2023. I was worried it might be boring, but once the routine of the protagonist is established, there are gradually more dramatic elements revealed, and I feel like the whole film is about finding happiness or at least some level of contentment in the mundane. That gives it a similarity to Paterson, but I feel like it's really only the first half of Perfect Days that feels super comparable; there are added elements here in the second half that help the two feel different.

Wim Wenders loves driving, he loves Japan, and he loves great music, and you get a lot of all three here. I think it's my favorite film of his besides the epic Until the End of the World (also partly set in Japan, also with much driving, and also with a killer soundtrack), but there are many films of his I should revisit, because I might've been too young for them when I did watch them (Paris, Texas comes to mind).

If you're able to settle into a groove the same way the main character does here, I think Perfect Days ends up being surprisingly engrossing for most of its runtime. I was glad to see it in a cinema, and without any distractions. Parts of it also reminded me of Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, but that one's more provocative in highlighting boredom, and wants to wear the viewer down to make them feel the plight of the titular character. Perfect Days gives you 12 days (I counted) in the life of someone who has a profession that sounds boring, but captures small moments throughout nearly two weeks in this guy's life that show happiness and beauty with his lifestyle.

I liked spending time with this character, I loved how the film looked and sounded music-wise, and I appreciated all the quiet yet touching moments; some of them funny, and some of them sad. I don't know if Perfect Days is for everyone, and it might not have even been for me, had I watched it on a different day or in different circumstances. But all I know is that it hit the spot today, and that's all that matters today. "Now is now," as they say in the film itself.

It won't blow you away, but you will not leave empty-handed. For two weeks, we follow a Japanese toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Not much happens, but that is the beauty of it all. Hirayama, played by fantastic Koji Yakusho, does his job, listens to excellent music, reads books, and goes about his everyday, unexciting routine. It does not sound special, right? But it is.

For Hirayama, the small, boring, and common things are beautiful. He stops for a moment and looks at the beautiful trees, which the rest of us walk past daily and never notice. When you leave the theaters, your walk home will be special. It's impossible to watch this movie without going outside and appreciating the small (but beautiful) things.

The movie forces you into a slower mood of perception, and being aware that you will learn something about Tokyo and the people there is just one aspect that helps to contend a feeling of impatience that grows as you realize that you will not see more action. The soundtrack also helps, with a mix of all-time r&b classics and some less known tracks. You may also feel the wish get one of the books the protagonist is reading. So you sit there and get closer and closer to the main character, until the end that culminates in a genuine feeling of joy, joy you would not have felt without the investment of patience that this movie imposes on you.

Japan's history, traditions, architecture both traditional and Neo, and its unique vibe and aesthetic have always intrigued me. So i might be a bit biased in my rating.

Perfect Days is the kind of movie that makes you rethink your life choices-like why you've never considered becoming a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Wim Wenders serves up a beautifully slow-paced film where the most exciting thing that happens is a guy cleaning a toilet... and somehow, it's mesmerizing. Koji Yakusho nails the role of a man who is content with the simple pleasures in life like books, music, and perfectly scrubbed porcelain. It's like The Joy of Painting meets Toilet Scrubbing 101, but with deep life lessons sprinkled in.

By the end, you'll be questioning why you're not appreciating the small things in your life or at least why your bathroom isn't as spotless.