Perfect Days

Perfect Days, the latest film from Wim Wenders, absorbs us in the day-to-day rhythms and the small joys of Hirayama, a Tokyo janitor who cleans public toilets around the city. As he drives from job to job, we follow him as he plays music on his cassette player, with the likes of Patti Smith, Lou Reed, the Kinks and Nina Simone his regular companions. He also likes to read trashy crime novels and take pictures of nature using his analogue camera, and seems perfectly content with his monotonous daily routine.

Wim Wenders continues to surprise as a filmmaker despite having made films for nearly six decades. Throughout his career, this German writer-director has made all types of films, from the existential drama Paris, Texas to the Tom Ripley thriller My American Friend via road movies like King of the Road and Alice in the Cities. He also made the heaven-sent love story Wings of Desire as well as the ground-breaking documentaries Buena Vista Social Club and Pina. With Perfect Days, he surprises again with this ambient character study set in Japan.

Perfect Days is also distinguished by a brilliant central performance from veteran Japanese actor Koji Yakusho. As Hirayam, he gives a deeply moving and remarkably restrained performance that won him the Best Actor award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. It’s not the only accolade Perfect Days has picked up – it’s also among the films nominated for Best International Feature at the upcoming Oscars.

The Skinny has teamed up with MUBI and will be screening Perfect Days for free as part of our CineSkinny Film Club.