Perfect Days
2023
****
Director: Wim Wenders
Cast: Kōji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Yumi Asō, Sayuri Ishikawa, Tomokazu Miura, Min Tanaka, Wim Wenders, Miyako Tanaka
Wim Wenders' moving Tokyo-set drama is a celebration of the mundane and mechanical moments in life. The protagonist, Hirayama, is a middle-aged man who leads a simple life cleaning toilets, listening to cassette tapes, reading books, photographing trees, and relaxing in the public bathhouse. All his days follow the same pattern, but who are we to say anything if he is content. There are some subtle hints that Hirayama has abandoned a more meaningful and illustrious life, and I would have liked to learn more about this. As it stands, the story is perhaps a bit too minimalistic for my liking. Nevertheless, the performances are good and the film looks great.
