The Plot: Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) wakes up each morning in Tokyo, ready to go to work. As he drives around the city, he listens to American music to get him in the mood. He works hard cleaning the public toilets, maintaining a rigorous daily standard. His colleague Takashi (Tokio Emoto) is enthusiastic but somewhat distracted. He moans about his love life, much to the disinterest and amusement of Hirayama. Over the next few days, Hirayama will encounter a number of people including the niece he hasn’t seen for a while…
The Verdict: Having made a number of documentaries including the enlightening artistic collaboration Anselm in 3D, notable German director Wim Wenders has returned to narrative features with his latest film, the Oscar-nominated Perfect Days. It’s a suitable title for a film that is refreshingly undemanding and which zooms in on the simple pleasures of daily life, which can often be taken for granted in the hustle and bustle of the thriving metropolis. This is done in a subtle way while maintaining a firm narrative focus on its lead character Hirayama. The daily life of a Tokyo toilet cleaner might not sound like the most thrilling of subjects, but Wenders is a master director of taking the simple and elevating it into something meaningful and deeply heartfelt (e.g. Paris, Texas). He also has this keen ability to cross cultural divides to find the human touch.
Wenders’ script here with Takuma Takasaki is unrushed, taking its time to follow Hirayama around the city as he works, bathes, eats and listens to a jukebox selection of American golden oldies. There are some real gems here too including songs by Lou Reed, the Rolling Stones and Van Morrison. It’s one of those scripts where not much actually happens dramatically-speaking, but what happens is significant in various ways to the character and the way the audience perceives him. He smiles as he plays a game of noughts and crosses with a stranger who leaves a piece of paper behind in a public toilet. He collects vintage cassette tapes and with them coming back into fashion, he makes a small sacrifice so that the flustered Takashi can impress his date. He also bonds with his lively young niece, who is equally curious about the minutiae of life.
There’s an easygoing rhythm to the film which gradually casts a spell, lulling the viewer into the same tempo as its lead character’s life. It would appear that Koji Yakusho didn’t need much direction from Wenders, as he’s very much in tune with the script and the soundtrack of Hirayama’s daily routine. He remains an ocean of calm while others overfuss the details. He changes very little over the course of the film as people come in and out of his life, but that’s a character arc in itself. This character knows who he is from start to finish and that’s enough for both Wenders and Takasaki to work with. There’s mild amusement to be found here too, like the hi-tech toilets of Tokyo with their shaded windows, sparkling appearance and bonus features (they even talk too). There’s a lovely balance of elements here which coalesce into a very enjoyable film. Perfect Days is a gentle delight, time well spent and an ideal antidote to the look-at-me Oscar nominees crowding the field as Awards Season approaches its peak.
Rating: 4 / 5
Review by Gareth O’Connor
In short: Gentle delight
Directed by Wim Wenders.
Starring Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisan Nakano.