Once pandemic restrictions had lifted in Tokyo, legendary German director Wim Wenders was invited there to observe The Tokyo Toilet Project, an initiative which worked alongside various Japanese artists with the goal of sprucing up some of Tokyo’s public toilets and hopefully altering the public’s perception of the facilities. Wenders was invited by Koji Yanai, who hoped that the prestige director could photograph or even make a short film about the project. Instead, Wenders decided to make a full feature film which would become Perfect Days, with Yanai becoming a co-producer on the film. Perfect Days follows the day-to-day life of Hirayama, a janitor of few words who cleans the facilities for the Tokyo Toilet Project. The film centres Hirayama and his repetitive schedule, but also features a strong extended cast who make up the web of the quiet cleaner’s life.
I would hesitate to call Hirayama a mysterious figure, he is a man who appreciates the small perfections in everyday life despite working a less than glamorous job. While watching I found myself half-expecting a reveal of something dramatic or life-changing in Hirayama’s past, and while details of his past life are touched on, there isn’t any such grand revelation. Like its protagonist, Perfect Days is a very simple movie, which may dissuade some viewers who want to search for allegory or deeper meaning within. I, however, love how Perfect Days is a change of pace compared to the average cinema experience, I can simply watch a man truly enjoy life and the company of those around him. The film’s nature calls to mind how real life is shockingly simple, and that most people don’t have a grand calling or mysterious past waiting to be unravelled, some people just clean toilets.
Perfect Days, 2023. Directed by Wim Wenders.
There is a word in Japanese, Komorebi, which roughly translates to “the light that shines through the leaves of trees”, but represents much more than its literal meaning. Komorebi is about taking a moment to appreciate the good things in your life, even if they might be hard to appreciate at that time. Seeing the light that filters through the darkness is exactly what Hirayama does throughout the movie, literally, metaphorically, and often both at once. There are a number of moments where Hirayama takes a moment to look at the dancing shadows or reflections of light cast onto the environment around him, wonderfully illustrating the idea of Komorebi, giving the audience an idea of who Hirayama is at his core, and perfectly conveying the movie’s message of appreciating life.
The interactions Hirayama has with those around him, sometimes as fleeting as they are meaningful, gives the feeling that everyone is leading their own extraordinary ordinary life. From Hirayama’s niece, whom he hasn’t seen in years, briefly staying with him to his co-worker Takashi trying his best to impress a girl, the film builds up a pleasant personal life for Hirayama and gifts the audience a number of wonderfully wholesome interactions between the film’s ensemble. Perfect Days portrays flawed characters but doesn’t pass judgement on them. It shows you how they may be flawed, but rather than cling to these imperfections the film moves past them and maintains a positive outlook, continuing to present them as sympathetic and human. I’ve never felt like a movie has unashamedly loved all its characters more than Perfect Days.
Perfect Days, 2023. Directed by Wim Wenders.
Koji Yakusho’s performance as Hirayama won him, among other things, the award for Best Actor at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. In a year of amazing lead performances (Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer and Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers spring to mind) I think Yakusho’s performance as Hirayama is one of the best and certainly amongst the most moving, as I found myself on the verge of bursting into tears as the film was ending.
I would love nothing more than to go into depth about Hirayama’s various interactions and relationships with those that populate his life, but due to Perfect Days’ unique nature, those details are inherent spoilers so I can only touch on them in this review, so I really recommend seeing this for yourself. Perfect Days is a portrait of a man who you’d hope represents all of humanity and makes you want nothing more than to look at the world the way he does.
You can watch Perfect Days at the Somerville Auditorium through Perth Festival from Monday the 15th to Sunday the 21st of January.