Perfect Days (2023): A measured life in Tokyo
1966 • Wim Wenders • 1.33:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
Directed by Wim Wenders, Perfect Days follows the daily life of a Tokyo toilet cleaner who adheres to a strict routine of work, solitary rituals, and the occasional encounter. Small disruptions reveal fragments of his personal history, though much remains unspoken.
Designed as a minimalist character study, the film centres on routine, observation, and duration rather than conventional narrative progression. It aligns with slow cinema, initially structured through repetition before subtle variations begin to disrupt the pattern. The recurring environments, like the public toilets shaped by Tokyo’s public toilet redesign project, the familiar parks and streets, and the protagonist’s apartment, form a constant. His daily actions, from watering plants to reading before sleep and organising photographs, reinforce this cyclical structure.
Perfect Days is built around the experience of time. Long static shots allow actions to unfold without acceleration, prioritising presence over narrative urgency. Music played on cassette tapes, light filtering through trees, and attention to minor details all shape the film’s central atmosphere. This is a film in which observation replaces drama and meaning emerges through accumulation rather than events.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: A quiet Tokyo toilet cleaner leads a life of simple routines, small pleasures, and quiet introspection, until unexpected encounters begin to stir memories and hint at a deeper past. Read my review of Perfect Days.
- Actors: Kōji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Sayuri Ishikawa, Tomokazu Miura, Min Tanaka.
- Director: Wim Wenders
- Year: 2023
- Cinematographer: Franz Lustig
- Origin: American Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Genre: Drama / Slice of Life
