NZIFF: Perfect Days

Wim Wenders hits the sweet spot with this deceptively simple character study chronicling the daily life of a Tokyo cleaner, which is emotionally resonant in its stunning attention to detail and filmic poetry.

“Hirayama rises from his bachelor futon, goes to work, cleans the city’s conveniences with a dignified gusto, then relaxes in his spare time with a visit to the baths or a beer in his favourite bar. At night he reads, or sorts through the abstract photographs he takes during his shifts. Once Hirayama’s routine is established, Wim Wenders’ small but wonderfully gentle drama starts to add random encounters that subtly interfere with his ascetic way of life.
Working with screenwriter Takuma Takasaki, Wenders is concerned with the simple pleasures of life and the ripples caused by small gestures. The reason it works at all is down to the foxy, gracious Koji Yakusho, who commands the screen with a largely silent performance. His contagious serenity perfectly complements Wenders’ minor-key direction, adding unexpected profundity to the film’s seemingly simple message: ‘The world is made of many worlds. Some are connected, and some are not’.” — Damon Wise, Deadline