Perfect Days: Film Review
Wim Wenders‘s latest film Perfect Days is a simple but lovely story that reminds us to appreciate the little things in life.
The film follows Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) as he spends his days cleaning public toilets in the Shibuya district in Japan. We literally observe this ordinary person going about his run-of-the-mill day. He is a quiet, insular man who barely speaks, even when asked a direct question by his annoying young colleague Takashi (Tokio Emoto). Takashi looks down upon his job but Hirayama takes it very seriously and takes pride in cleaning the toilets thoroughly.
There isn’t anything special about Hirayama but that’s where the beauty lies. It shows that everyone’s lives are interesting in their own way, even if it seems like they don’t have much going on on the outside. He seems content with his routine and finds little joys in life – the sun on his face, a little plant, taking photos on his digital camera and playing his cassette tapes.
When his niece Niko (Arisa Nakano) unexpectedly arrives, we see a different side to Hirayama and better understand his family history. Her arrival marks a change of pace in the story because Hirayama has to talk more and break his well-oiled routine. After he sees his family, things start to go awry and Hirayama doesn’t seem so at peace anymore. Perhaps he realised how deeply he’d missed that human connection.
Yakusho won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance, which is so natural and realistic that you feel like you could be watching a documentary. The highlight of his performance is a long take in which he is simply driving but so many complex emotions are running through his face. I had to rewind and play that moment again because it was just so flawless.
There is not an awful lot in the way of plot with Perfect Days but I can assure you that it is compelling, life-affirming and well worth your time.
In cinemas from Friday 23rd February