Genre: Drama
Running time: 2 h 03 min
Country: Japan, Germany, 2023
Director: Wim Wenders
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Yumi Aso
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: Estonian, English
October is Mental Health Month, and at Kai Cinema we are turning our gaze inward.
The quiet Hirayama rises at dawn, puts on his work clothes, buys a drink from a vending machine, gets into his minivan and drives into the city. He cleans Tokyo’s public toilets as if they were sacred spaces, and his work resembles a ritual. Sometimes Hirayama sits in the park, eats a sandwich and takes pictures of trees; sometimes he helps a younger colleague. After work he stops at the bathhouse, listens to Patti Smith and Van Morrison in his car, and reads William Faulkner and Patricia Highsmith before falling asleep. The next morning everything repeats itself, yet a blissful smile remains on Hirayama’s face, because he simply enjoys his perfect life.
This intimate portrait by German film luminary Wim Wenders disarms even the most hardened cynics. Once again, the director proves his unique ability to turn the prose of everyday life into poetry.
“Perfect Days” competed at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and Koji Yakusho won the Best Actor award. It was Japan’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar in 2024.