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Many of us, whether in the entertainment business or outside of it, choose lives that are constantly on the move with goal after goal being strived for, barely taking a day or even a moment for slowing down to enjoy the sweetness of living. Today’s movies reflect a similar state of mind as many of our favorite protagonists are highly motivated to achieve ambitious dreams, often losing relationships and sanity over their seemingly impossible ends. As if in response to this, Wim Wenders’ newest film ‘Perfect Days‘ (2023) follows a character who acts as the opposite. Shot on location in Tokyo Japan with legendary Japanese star Koji Yakusho giving an award winning performance, Wim Wenders’ newest film, ‘Perfect Days‘ brings a slice of life treat to the modern era of world cinema that is in parts delightful and endearing, other parts somber and thoughtful, and overall encompassed by a feeling of satisfaction over life rather than a painful determination for an unattainable fantasy.
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In the vein of his previous work, Wim Wenders explores a part of the world he is somewhat of an outsider to
Most film directors have their basis of operations remain in one place. Hollywood is the most popular where most successful directors and actors live and make their films. Directors in countries outside the United States either choose to stay in the industry of their respective country or journey off to Hollywood for continued success. German film director and photographer Wim Wenders is a unique cinematic figure because of his career that has taken his work over multiple countries and areas of the world. Wenders was initially part of the New German Cinema wave before moving on to making movies with locations, casts, and crews who were not native to Germany. His two breakout hits in this respect were ‘The American Friend‘ (1977) and ‘Paris Texas‘ (1984). Both films featured recognizable American actors acting off German performers. Travis in ‘Paris Texas‘ , who is played by Harry Dean Stanton, has romantic history with Nastassja Kinski’s character as does Dean Stockwell with French actress Aurore Clément, not to mention that the dynamic between the characters in ‘The American Friend’ performed by Dennis Hopper and Bruno Ganz has been interpreted to be that of a homosexual tension. Furthermore, Wenders’ documentary about the ‘Buena Vista Social Club‘ (1999) sees Ry Cooder, an American musician, joining a group of beloved but forgotten musicians from Cuba and assisting to bring them back in the limelight. All of these examples of Wenders’ past work not only serve to show how he enjoys working on projects outside of his native Germany but that he is fascinated with the connections and relationships between people of different backgrounds.
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The Children Around the World Continue to Ask the question
This brings us to Wenders’ latest project, the slice of life drama ‘Perfect Days’ which follows a toilet cleaner named Hirayama as he goes through his days listening to music, working, going to the showers, reading books, and dreaming. While it does not set itself up to be immediately compelling, the way in which Wenders approaches this simple premise makes the film truly special out of the bunch of recent films. Once again, Wenders is making a film in Tokyo Japan, a country he barely has any connection with, aside from making a documentary there 38 years ago and recently being invited to advertise the city’s new toilet infrastructure (the genesis of this film). He uses this opportunity as an outsider to do what he has done many times before which is use his camera to take in the environment and the smaller moments most citizens wouldn’t care to notice. Past examples include how much of ‘Paris Texas‘ is spent following Travis walking through the Texas desert, alone with not much to do besides observing. It is easy to compare this to the scenes where Hirayama is silently driving through the city looking out the window or methodically cleaning toilets. Wenders seeks to immerse you in the place he is fascinated by rather than breezing through a plot.
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A Life of Gratefulness Instead of Bitterness
All this style and contemplative mood over traditional narrative would fail as a film if Hirayama was written differently. Instead of obsessively achieving goals like most cinematic protagonists, Hirayama is content with his lifestyle despite its simplicity and minor faults, graciously accepting the days and people he meets as they are without resorting to constant discontentment. He is not constantly driven by a desire that seems impossible to attain, nor is he an awkward, closeted hermit who avoids everyone. His kind of character is rarely seen in cinema which is populated immensely by ambitious protagonists who want something greater than they have and suffer in the process. Not that Hirayama’s life is shown to be perfect as there are multiple moments throughout the film that imply that he may hold a variety of regrets. Nevertheless, he remains a character that many of us can take a lesson from for our constantly moving lives. Because after all, what good is working through sweat and tears to achieve something great if you have lost the ability to enjoy life’s riches? Not that ‘Perfect Days’ is the only film to approach such a question, but it is one of the few to provide an uplifting example rather than a cautionary one.
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Feelings Expressed by a Soundtrack from the World
One aspect of the film which does the most emotional heavy lifting is the soundtrack that is made up almost entirely of licensed music. Featuring hits from artists such as Lou Reed, Nina Simone, Otis Redding, and more, the choices set the mood for multiple scenes and give insight into Hirayama’s mindset. The best display of the film’s use of music as well as Koji Yakusho’s incredible acting is the final scene of the movie. Hirayama is driving to a new day and the entire length of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good is played. In response to hearing this song, Hirayama goes through an emotional rollercoaster with a face that transitions from signs of happiness to somber within moments. No words are spoken and this final sequence can be interpreted in a number of ways as to what Hirayama might be feeling or thinking. Is Nina Simone’s singing of the good feelings that Hirayama has over his contentment with life? Or is the song choice a contrast to his regret and unfulfillment over how his life has gone? As Wenders often chooses with his narrative work, most is left up to interpretation. Along with the compelling music choice and emotionally ambiguous performance, the cinematography and lighting are also reflective of Hirayama’s head space. The single shot on Hirayama captures every small detail of emotion with the constantly changing light that shifts from red stop lights illuminating his face and shadows that come and go compliment the character’s imbalance of feeling. Like any great film, ‘Perfect Days’ finishes on a high note, using all the tools of filmmaking to create an ending that takes the audience on an emotional ride while leaving plenty to speculate and discuss afterward.
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Aoi Yamada
Director of Photography: Franz Lustig | Editor: Toni Froschhammer | Writers: Wim Wenders & Takuma Takasaki | Producers: Wim Wenders, Takuma Takasaki, & Koji Yanai | Director: Wim Wenders
By Elijah van der Fluit
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Elijah van der Fluit is a writer for The Hollywood Insider based in California with aspirations to write and direct films for a professional career. In his spare time, Elijah enjoys watching and discussing movies of all genres as well as reading, hiking, spending time with family, and being one with the world. Elijah believes that art, whatever form it may take, has the ability to inspire and broaden people’s perspectives in a positive way and he hopes to use his work in film and writing to do so.
Elijah van der Fluit is a writer for The Hollywood Insider based in California with aspirations to write and direct films for a professional career. In his spare time, Elijah enjoys watching and discussing movies of all genres as well as reading, hiking, spending time with family, and being one with the world. Elijah believes that art, whatever form it may take, has the ability to inspire and broaden people’s perspectives in a positive way and he hopes to use his work in film and writing to do so.
