Perfect Days
Perfect Days | |
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Directed by | Wim Wenders |
Written by |
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Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Franz Lustig[1] |
Edited by | Toni Froschhammer[1] |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 124 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | Japanese |
Box office | $25.7 million[2][3] |
Perfect Days is a 2023 drama film directed by Wim Wenders from a script written by Wenders and Takuma Takasaki.[4] A co-production between Japan and Germany, the film follows the routine life of Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho), a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo.[5]
Perfect Days premiered on 23 May 2023 at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Best Actor Award for Kōji Yakusho. It was nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, becoming the first film directed by a non-Japanese filmmaker to be nominated as the Japanese entry.[6]
Plot
[edit]Hirayama works as a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo's upscale Shibuya district, across town from his modest home in an ungentrified neighborhood east of the Sumida River. He repeats his structured, repetitive routine each day, starting at dawn. He dedicates his free time to his passion for music cassettes, which he listens to in his van to and from work, and to his books, which he reads every night before going to sleep. He reads stories by William Faulkner and Patricia Highsmith, and the essays of Aya Kōda. His dreams are shown in flickery impressionistic sequences at the end of every day.
Hirayama is also very fond of trees and spends time gardening and photographing trees. He has a sandwich every day in the shade under trees in the grounds of a shrine and takes analog photos of their branches and leaves and the 'Komorebi' (木漏れ日) -- reflected sunlight. His pride in his work is apparent by its thoroughness and precision. Hirayama's young assistant, Takashi, is often late, loud, and not as thorough. One day, a young woman named Aya stops by the public toilet Takashi is cleaning, so he hurries to finish. He tries to leave with Aya, but his motorbike will not start, so he convinces Hirayama to let him use his van.
When Aya says Takashi can stay with her as she works at a girls bar, he complains loudly that he is broke. Unbeknownst to Hirayama, Takashi slips Hirayama's Patti Smith tape into Aya's purse. Takashi talks Hirayama into going into a shop to get some of his cassettes appraised. When Takashi discovers how valuable they are, he urges Hirayama to sell, but Hirayama refuses, giving him some cash so he can take Aya out. When Hirayama runs out of gas on the way home, he is forced to sell a cassette for gas money. Hirayama commences a tic-tac-toe game with a stranger after finding a piece of paper left hidden in a stall. The game continues over the course of the film. He exchanges furtive glances with a strange woman eating lunch one bench over.
Aya catches up with Hirayama to return the Patti Smith cassette. She asks to play it in his van one last time, and then gives him a thank-you kiss on the cheek, leaving him visibly startled. On his free day, Hirayama does his laundry, takes the film with his tree photos to be developed, cleans his flat, buys a new book, and dines out at a restaurant where the proprietor shares gossip with him. Niko, Hirayama's niece, shows up unannounced, having run away from his wealthy estranged sister Keiko's home. He lets Niko accompany him to work during the next two days. The two photograph the trees in the park and ride bikes together. Eventually, Keiko comes to pick up Niko in a chauffeured car.
Keiko tells him that their father’s dementia has worsened and asks whether Hirayama will visit him in the nursing home where he lives. She says that he doesn’t recognize anything anymore and will not behave the way he did before. Hirayama sorrowfully refuses but hugs his sister good-bye. Before she leaves, she asks him whether he really cleans toilets for a living, and he says yes. As they drive away, Hirayama begins to cry inconsolably. The next day, Takashi quits without giving notice, leaving Hirayama to cover his shift. Later, as Hirayama goes to his usual restaurant, he opens the door and sees the proprietor embracing a man. Hirayama hurries off, buying cigarettes and three canned highballs to consume at a nearby riverbank. The man Hirayama saw at the restaurant approaches and asks him for a cigarette.
The man tells him the restaurant proprietor is his ex-wife whom he had not seen in seven years, and that she opened her restaurant the year after divorcing him. He says he visited her to make peace before he dies from cancer, telling Hirayama to look after her. Hirayama lightens the mood by offering him a drink and inviting him to play shadow tag, and they eventually part ways. The following morning, Hirayama begins another workweek. As he drives his van and listens to Nina Simone sing "Feeling Good", a range of powerful emotions washes over his face.
Cast
[edit]- Kōji Yakusho as Hirayama
- Tokio Emoto as Takashi
- Arisa Nakano as Niko
- Aoi Yamada as Aya
- Yumi Asō as Keiko
- Sayuri Ishikawa as Mama
- Tomokazu Miura as Tomoyama
- Min Tanaka as homeless[1]
- Wim Wenders as cassette shop customer
Production
[edit]Right after COVID-19 pandemic precautions eased, Wenders was invited to Tokyo by Koji Yanai to observe The Tokyo Toilet, a project in which Japanese public toilets were redesigned in 17 locations throughout Shibuya with the help of 16 creators invited from around the world. Wenders was invited to take a look at the uniqueness of each of these facilities. At first, the producers envisioned Wenders would make a short film or series of short films on the facilities, but he opted for a feature film, with co-screenwriter Takuma Takasaki explaining that the conception of the character of Hirayama felt like new territory for them.[7][8] The film is produced by Master Mind Limited (Japan) and Spoon Inc. (Japan) in collaboration with Wenders Images (Germany).[9][10]
The film was shot over 17 days in Tokyo.[11]
The style of the film takes inspiration from the style of Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu. The minimalist approach to storytelling, the focus on ordinary life, and the 4:3 aspect ratio of the film are all nods to Ozu.[12][13] Also, the name Hirayama comes from a common character name in Ozu's films (Tokyo Story, An Autumn Afternoon).[14]
Soundtrack
[edit]The music that Hirayama listens to with his cassettes is a major motif in the film.[15][16] In describing the way that Hirayama chooses the music he listens to, Wenders said: "Maybe he's clinging to the past. But he's clinging a little bit also to his youth and he loves that music. He chooses in the morning exactly what he's going to listen to that day. And it's not random." Wenders described Lou Reed as "a mighty voice in the film."[17]
Title | Artist | Year |
---|---|---|
"The House of the Rising Sun" | The Animals | 1964 |
"Pale Blue Eyes" | The Velvet Underground | 1969 |
"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" | Otis Redding | 1968 |
"Redondo Beach" | Patti Smith | 1975 |
"(Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City" | The Rolling Stones | 1964 |
"Perfect Day" | Lou Reed | 1972 |
"Aoi Sakana" | Sachiko Kanenobu | 1972 |
"Sunny Afternoon" | The Kinks | 1966 |
"The House of the Rising Sun" (Japanese version)[a] | Sayuri Ishikawa | 2023 |
"Brown Eyed Girl" | Van Morrison | 1967 |
"Feeling Good" | Nina Simone | 1965 |
"Perfect Day" (Komorebi Version) | Patrick Watson | 2024 |
Release
[edit]Perfect Days was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival,[18] where it had its world premiere on 25 May.[19] It was also invited to the 27th Lima Film Festival in the Acclaimed section, where it was screened on 11 August 2023.[20] Subsequent screenings were held at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and 2023 New York Film Festival.[21][22]
World sales were handled by The Match Factory,[9] with Neon distributing the film in the United States, and Mubi distributing the film in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Turkey and Latin America.[23]
Perfect Days was released in Germany on 21 December 2023 by DCM,[24] and in Japan on 22 December by Bitters End.[25] The film was released in the U.S. on 7 February 2024.[26]
The film is available on home video from the Criterion Collection.[27]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 186 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "An absorbing slice-of-life drama led by a remarkable Kôji Yakusho performance, Perfect Days adds a quietly soaring gem to director/co-writer Wim Wenders' estimable filmography."[29] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[30]
Hsin Wang of FIPRESCI described the film as Wim Wenders' lifetime masterpiece.[31] German film journalist Dieter Oßwald wrote, "With furious ease, Wenders succeeds in making a rather perfect film."[32] The Guardian called Perfect Days "Wim Wenders's best film in years," praising the film for being "as much a manifesto as a movie...advocating not just a new way of looking, but of new way of living." Kōji Yakusho's performance drew acclaim for his ability to "convey an extraordinarily rich interior life, almost entirely without leaning on dialogue."[33]
Accolades
[edit]Impact
[edit]Following the theatrical release of Perfect Days in international markets, interest in Japanese public facilities, particularly those of the Tokyo Toilet Project in Shibuya, has surged.[68][69]
See also
[edit]- Cinema of Japan
- List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
- List of Japanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Notes
[edit]- ^ Translated into Japanese by Maki Asakawa, who first recorded the version in 1972.
- ^ Tied with Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer
- ^ Tied with Glenn Howerton for BlackBerry, Benoit Magimel for Pacifiction, and Franz Rogowski for Passages
- ^ Tied with Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers, Andrew Scott for All of Us Strangers, and Emma Stone for Poor Things
References
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- ^ "Perfect Days (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "Perfect Days (2023)". The Numbers. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (25 May 2023). "Perfect Days review – Wim Wenders explores a quiet life in Tokyo". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ Breitenbach, Dagmar (12 May 2022). "Tokyo's public toilets inspire Wim Wenders". DW. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ "第96回米国アカデミー賞国際長編映画賞への出品作品として、申請8作品から「PERFECT DAYS」監督:ヴィム・ヴェンダース(出品会社:有限会社ビターズ・エンド)を選考しました。" [From the eight submitted works, we have selected "PERFECT DAYS" directed by Wim Wenders (submitted by Bitters End LLC) as the entry for the 96th Academy Awards International Feature Film. The 96th Academy Awards International Feature Film] (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
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- ^ "Perfect Days". Cannes Film Festival. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
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- ^ Lewis, Ffion (21 February 2024). "Patrick Watson unveils "Perfect Day (Komorebi Version)" a solo piano cover of Lou Reed's cult song". Secret City Records. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
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- ^ a b "The films of the Official Selection 2023" (Press release). Cannes Film Festival. 13 April 2023. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes". Cannes Film Festival. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Perfect Days" (in Spanish). Lima Film Festival. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (10 August 2023). "TIFF 2023 Centerpiece Program Showcases Aki Kaurismäki, Wim Wenders, Agnieszka Holland, and More". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
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- ^ "Return To Essence At Cannes 2023". FIPRESCI. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Oßwald, Dieter. "Perfect Days". Doppelpunkt (in German). Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (25 February 2024). "Perfect Days review". Guardian. Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
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External links
[edit]- 2023 films
- 2023 drama films
- 2023 independent films
- 2020s German films
- 2020s Japanese films
- 2020s Japanese-language films
- Films directed by Wim Wenders
- Films set in Tokyo
- Films shot in Tokyo
- Films with screenplays by Wim Wenders
- German drama films
- German independent films
- Japanese drama films
- Japanese independent films
- Neon (company) films
- Slice of life films
- Water supply and sanitation in Japan
- Public toilets