Perfect days
The new film by the maker of Lisbon Story and Wings of Desire is a meditation on the simplicity and beauty of life. In Perfect Days, Wim Wenders tells the story of a Japanese everyman for whom daily activities make up the poetry of everyday life.
Living in contemporary Tokyo, Hirayama (played by the fantastic Kōji Yakusho, awarded for his role at the Cannes Film Festival) is a man of few words, yet full of love for the world and people. As we follow the protagonist, we discover the everyday rituals in which he engages with utmost devotion. Over time, even Hirayama’s mundane job of cleaning the city toilets (each an architectural masterpiece) turns out to be an extraordinary ceremony.
The harmonious sounds of the Tokyo street and songs performed by The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Patti Smith and Nina Simone become the soundtrack of his life. Wenders has given us healing cinema that turns the everyday into magic.
