The options are endless, of course. One can have a day filled with high octane adventure - or maybe a romantic day somewhere beautiful. Or maybe spending it in a quiet cafe reading books and sipping cups of coffee? How and where and with whom you spend it with of course is a factor to making a day perfect. How about waking up alone in a tiny apartment, spend the whole day cleaning public toilets, and going about your solitary life doing things and then repeating that all over again the next day? Does that sound perfect to you?
In Wim Wender’s meditative, melancholic and yet ultimately joyous film, Perfect Days (2023), it was exactly how Hirayama would spend his days working as a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo's upscale Shibuya district. He repeats his structured, ritualized life every day, starting at dawn. He dedicates his free time to his passion for music, which he listens to in his van to and from work. He takes pictures of trees. In the evening, he spends time with his books which he reads before going to sleep.
One would think he would be morose, depressed or surly, but he is not. He is quick to smile, appreciates the subtle beauty of his surroundings, and notices the quiet humdrum poetry of day to day life. He exudes contentment, and warm engagement with the people he interacts with. He does so with a quietness that is admirable, and intriguing. Played by veteran actor Koji Yakusho who embodies the stillness and power of Hirayama’s quiet life, he richly deserved the acting accolades he received from this film (for example, 76th Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award). Subtle, richly evocative and tender in the most human of ways, Yakusho’s Hirayama is endearing, complex and authentic.
Wim Wender meanders and lingers in beautifully shot and carefully considered scenes. His pacing is never boring or lifeless - instead it invites us to be still and be present to what was going on. We have been fed with fast-paced, event-filled movies that we anticipate drastic changes or dramatic turns at any given moment. There was none of that in this film, but it does not mean it was uneventful. In fact, at his expert direction, it is filled with emotional impact. It is dramatically powerful in the truest sense of the word. He patiently unfolds for us the story, and we slowly discover who this seemingly inscrutable character is. While the film does not fully reveal who Hirayama really is, we get a sense of who the character is, and what he goes through. From that scant revelation not only do we get a sense of who Hirayama is, but we find our own selves in him.
Another element of this film that needs mentioning is the soundtrack. The songs were like a mirror and signifiers of the character’s spirit - expressing what is not explicitly spoken or revealed. Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and The Animals, The Underground Velvet, Nina Simone feature heavily.
In this film, Hirayama’s quiet, monk-like life is a fragile construction that flickers like the surrealistic dreams he has. Yet, perfect days are not just these silent, undisturbed moments. Rather, it is a steadfast resolve to go beyond whatever ugliness or filth one may encounter. In the same way that Hirayama meticulously cleans and brushes toilets in albeit modern and strikingly designed bathrooms, he has found a way to find peace. He finds calmness and joy in these things not because his life is without struggle, but because he transcend that. His life - only hinted at - was not easy and might have been fraught with pain (based on a brief conversation with his sister). There were moments that interrupt and disrupt his calmness, but he quickly find his equilibrium. It is not in the denial of the pain or hurt that is surely present that makes one’s days perfect. It is in the quiet resolve to look beyond. It is in the choices one makes. It is finding the inner core that brings strength, and a sense of tranquility, and yes- perfect days.
Comments