Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, 2023)

Perfect Days
(Wim Wenders, 2023, 124 min, Japan/Germany, Japanese with English subtitles, DCP)

-- Introduced by Prof. Anne Allison (Cultural Anthropology)

Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.

“Wim Wenders returns with a poignant character study and a deeply moving, poetic reflection on finding beauty in the everyday world around us. Radiating charm and embracing all his best work, this unique mix of fiction and ordinary life finds an unusual, poetic angle to guide us: the architectural marvels of some of Tokyo’s public toilets ... Through Yakusho/Hirayama, Wenders captures the poetry of the everyday with intimacy and stunning simplicity.”  – Toronto International Film Festival

"A poem of extraordinary subtlety and beauty." – Vox

“Without Yakusho, it would still be the German filmmaker’s strongest narrative feature in 30 years... With him, this small, unassuming tale turns into the kind of earthshaking character study that reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone

Kôji Yakusho, Winner of the Best Actor Award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival

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