PERFECT DAYS (2023) review
written by: Takuma Takasaki and Wim Wenders
produced by: Wim Wenders, Takuma Takasaki and Koji Yanai
directed by: Wim Wenders
rating: PG (for some language, partial nudity and smoking)
runtime: 123 min.
U.S. release date: November 10, 2023 (limited) and February 9, 2024 (Music Box Theatre, Chicago, IL)
We all have our daily routines. Some we are still forming, while others have taken years to establish. But there are definite patterns in each day that we don’t even think about anymore. For his latest feature, “Perfect Days,” German auteur Wim Wenders is following the day-to-day activities of a public toilet cleaner in modern-day Tokyo. Such an occupation can render one invisible to others. Still, Wenders offers us a gentle reminder that there’s an actual person behind such seemingly menial labor, one that’s not all that different from you and me.
Hirayama (Kôji Yakusho) begins each day methodically watering the plants in his compact apartment on the outskirts of Tokyo and rolling up his mattress with precision. His modest home is sparse and void of furniture, save for the lone bookshelf that houses his collection of curated books and cassettes next to where he sleeps. He can hear the same activity outside his window each morning: leaves stir, and birds chirp. He will brush his teeth and shave with an electric razor, grab a can of coffee from the outside vending machine, and begin his workday by driving in his minivan with essential cleaning equipment.
Hirayama’s job is to clean and drive to different public toilets in the fashionable Shibuya district of Tokyo. Due to their location, these are not the rundown nasty washrooms you’d find in any metropolitan city in America. Not only are they cleaner than you’d expect, but they are also pretty cool looking, with modern designs that subvert anyone’s expectations of a public toilet. One particular toilet near a children’s playground is quite distinctive. The transparent walls turn opaque when the door closes, and the lights are turned on. The structures contain the type of artistry that makes it a “destination toilet,” which is something I never thought I’d ever type. Surely, such impressive architectural work would stand out here in the States.
His salt-and-pepper hair and reading glasses give the impression he’s just on the other side of the middle-aged season of life, yet Hirayama moves throughout the day with a certain peace and contentment. We notice this in many ways throughout “Perfect Days,” but I particularly like how invested Hirayama gets in a tic-tac-toe game with an unseen toilet patron on a piece of paper tucked away in one of the locations. It’s an act of connection between two strangers rarely seen on screen.
From when he leaves his home to when he returns at the end of his work day, Hirayama chooses his daily soundtrack as carefully as anything else he does. His penchant for popular American music shows as he starts playing The Animal’s “House of the Rising Son” in his vehicle. In between stops at work, he’ll play the likes of Patty Smith’s “Redonda Beach,” The Velvet Underground’s “Pale Blue Eyes,” Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” and of course, “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed, which is where the film’s title comes from. The cassettes he plays feel as essential to his travel as the four wheels on his vehicle.
When his shift is over, Hirayama can be seen at a bathhouse and then at a local eatery in the subway. As he serves Hirayama, the owner thanks him for his hard work. On his off days, he frequents another nearby restaurant, this one owned by a friendly female owner, and like everywhere else he goes; she knows his regular order. When Hirayama is not at work, he’ll ride around on his bicycle, enjoying a stop at his favorite bookstore. The clerk will often recommend specific titles because Hirayama is also known there. He’ll end his evening reading in bed, ending when he’s too tired to continue. Observant people notice and appreciate other observant people.
His work could be tedious, but enough happens each day to break up any monotony Hirayama could feel. It’s doubtful he would feel any, though, considering how much pride and care he puts into his work. Sometimes, when he works alongside or crosses paths with a younger co-worker, Takashi (Tokio Emoto), he doesn’t take the job nearly as seriously as Hirayama does. At one point, Hirayama unexpectedly winds up helping Takashi get a date with a young girl, Aya (Aoi Yamada), who is more interested in Hiramaya’s cassette collection than she is in Takashi. There’s also a moment where Takashi notices Hiramaya in a different light for the first time as he witnesses him extend kindness to a patron without any ulterior motive.
There is a garden area in the park (located at Yoyogi-Hachiman-gū) that we see Hiramaya often frequent. This is where he can usually be seen taking his lunch break. It could be a similar outdoor area that any of us would choose to clear our heads and take in the natural surroundings. This is where Hiramaya will photograph a specific tree to add to the black-and-white collection he has of that same tree. Either he notices something different about it each day, or he wants to capture that particular moment from each time he is there to prove that he was there.
Hirayama’s routine when his niece, Niko (Arisa Nakano), shoes up at his doorstep one night. She is someone he barely recognizes. It’s the first time in the film that we learn more about Hiramaya beyond his daily activities and how he responds to the people he sees in his routine. Niko invites herself to stay at Hiramaya’s apartment and winds up in awe of this family member she never knew of. She borrows one of Hiramaya’s books, a collection of Patricia Highsmith’s short stories. Niko’s arrival does not entirely upend him, but it has slightly derailed his routine.
This encounter also indicates that he is estranged from his family, which is confirmed when his sister, Keiko (Yumi Asō), Niko’s mother, arrives in her chauffeured vehicle. There’s a palpable awkwardness between them as Keiko mentions that their father’s dementia is worsening and suggests Hiramaya should visit. He kindly declines, and although we don’t need to know all the details from his past, it’s clear whatever has occurred is still an area of sensitivity for Hirayama since we see him in tears not long after Keiko visits. However, “Perfect Days” doesn’t end on a downer; rather, it is a hope for Hirayama’s future despite the bittersweet experience with his family. That’s probably best solidified when we hear Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” playing from one of his cassettes.
While you won’t find much of a character arc here, Wenders, who co-wrote the screenplay with Takuma Takasaki, has provided us a glimpse of someone we can connect with in Hirayama. How veteran actor Kôji Yakusho (“Shall We Dance?”) inhabits Hirayama is impressive and noteworthy. He conveys not only a peacefulness but also a curiosity and respect for the world around him. We can most certainly learn a thing or two from Hirayama.
The idea for “Perfect Days” came to Wenders after his co-producer, Koji Yanai, invited the director to observe the Tokyo Toilet Project once recent pandemic precautions were lifted. The project resulted in seventeen toilets in Shibuya being redesigned, and Yanai’s idea was to have Wenders possibly create a short documentary that would revolve around the result of the work. Wenders decided the subject would be worthy of a feature and, having been greatly influenced by Japanese virtuoso Yasujirō Ozu (“Late Spring” and “Tokyo Story”), wanted the chance to pay homage to his cinematic mentor. One could also compare “Perfect Days” to the works from other auteurs as well, such as “Ikiru” by Akira Kurasawa” and James Jarmusch’s “Paterson”. Both films take a poetic look at men who have done the same thing for a while, and both directors follow each character with curiosity and respect.
It may have been inevitable that Jonathan Graser’s “The Zone of Interest” would win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but this film deserved to win instead. It offers something different – how many holocaust movies have there been as opposed to meditative films revolving around a janitor? more emotional potency without any complexities hindering its message. “Perfect Days” is a patient and wise film, refreshingly void of cynicism.
RATING: ****
