Movie Muse by Peter Oppenheimer
In his duties as cleaner of a number of public toilets on the streets of Tokyo, Hirayama deals with the refuse and detritus of a modern urban landscape. From the beginning, we see how he, devoid of any self-pity, attends to his work with a craftsman-like pride in accomplishment. Standards of cleanliness are already high in Japan, and we can notice this in the streets and in the trains and buses. Hirayama carries on this sensibility in his work. A glaring and humorous contrast with Hirayama’s earnestness is made when he comes across a young co-worker who is watching and holding his smart phone with one hand, while heedlessly “cleaning” a toilet with the other. The public toilets in Tokyo are very playfully designed, each building having a unique shape, design and color scheme, including one that is entirely made of transparent glass that, when one enters and locks the door, becomes opaque in one or another attractive pastel color. In Perfect Days these public toilets present as a kind of stand-in for the city of Tokyo, in all its complexity, and are themselves a character of sorts in the story’s unfoldment. In the line of his work Hirayama, personally encounters a somewhat random and sizable number of people of all types. A quick review of the characters listed in the closing credits provide a sampling:
What constitutes a perfect day? Is such a thing even possible? If so, what personal circumstances and worldly conditions would have to exist? And what might be the inner traits that would allow one to begin to make such an evaluation? The premise itself seems rather abstract, if not utterly out of reach. Not so fast. Along comes a quietly enchanting film by the German master of world cinema, Wim Wenders. Wim Wenders is a writer/director who is univer- sally beloved among the amorphous community of international cinephiles, hav- ing directed such globally acclaimed films as Wings of Desire, Paris Texas , and my personal favorite, Don’t Come Knocking. The latest Wim Wenders film is Perfect Days , his first film made in Japan, in Japanese, and co-written with his Japanese collaborator, Takuma Takasaki. Perfect Days is suffused with the delicate sensibility we have come to associate with Japanese culture. The heart and soul of Perfect Days is Hirayama, a humble and upright, public toilet cleaner in the teeming city of Tokyo. For his bravura performance in this challenging role, Koji Yakusho was awarded Best Actor at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Old Lady with Broom, Businessman, Kids, Lost Boy, Mother, Priest, Homeless Person, Tourist, Bar Owner, Cat Lady, Office Lady, Vinyl Store Owner, Old Man, Bookstore Owner, High School Girl, Voice on Phone, Taxi Driver, Parking Officer… In Hirayama’s peaceful and mostly solitary life, small brief interactions take on a big significance for him. It is ennobling and liberating to see and sense how a life of solitude need not necessarily be one of isolation or loneliness. In most narratives these characters would remain in the background, but in Perfect Days , each of these marginal characters, when seen through Hirayama’s eyes, is revealed as of great significance, each in his or her own right. The soundtrack is seminal to the mood and meaning of the film, particularly with regard to Hirayama’s cassette tape collection, of mostly North American and British artists of the 60’s 70’s and 80’s. As he drives his van through the city, his soundtrack consists of the likes of Eric Burden and the Animals, Otis Redding, Van Morrison, Patti Smith, the Rolling Stones, Ray Davies of the Kinks, and yes, at one point we briefly hear Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day.” A simple man of great breadth and depth, Hirayama can be seen reading Japanese translations of such American authors as William Faulkner. Though he would be surprised and embarrassed to hear someone say so, Hirayama finally presents to us a portrait of a “street saint.” As we get drawn into his orbit, our own notion of what constitutes a perfect day, becomes transformed into something far more attainable than what we might have previously imagined.
Perfect Days begins as most of the world sleeps, in the pre-dawn hour with street lamps still aglow, and as the light of a new day is silently and slowly making itself known. The only sounds are the rustling of leaves in the wind and the “swoosh, swoosh” of a street sweeper’s broom. That latter sound is the gentle “alarm clock,” that wakes Hirayama from his dream to start his day. If we ourselves are still inside and observant enough, we can actually see Hirayama navigating the thin film that at once separates and connects our dream world and our wakeful world. This is a subtle transition we will get to watch several more times during the film. The black and white nightly montages of Hirayama’s dream images become an ever-evolving touchstone into his inner life and the contours of his soul. Throughout the movie, that face, which we first meet upon its awakening, is to become our guide, reflecting the many shifting nuances of his outer world and expressing the deep appreciations and occasional trepidations of his inner con- nectedness to the world he inhabits. Indeed, Hirayama is a man of extremely few words, who nonetheless takes palpable joy in the joys of others (strangers as well as friends) and feels a deep empathy for their struggles. His spontaneous, simple and unassuming acts of kindness touch them and us. We come to see how his daily routines keep him grounded, while his spontaneity and openness to seren- dipity allow his spirit to take flight.
If you’re looking for an alternative to the over-heated, sensationalized, and violent summer block-busters currently on offer in multiplexes far and wide, Perfect Days is highly recommended and can be readily streamed online for free by anyone with a library card, by going to the website kanopy.com, signing up and searching for Perfect Days .
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