Perfect Days Movie Review: A Soulful Masterpiece About Finding Joy in Routine

Some films whisper instead of shout, and in doing so, they linger longer in your soul. Wim Wenders’ 2023 film Perfect Days is one such creation—a cinematic meditation on routine, solitude, and the quiet poetry of life. Set in Tokyo and carried by a quietly mesmerizing performance from Koji Yakusho, this film reminds us that beauty often hides in the most ordinary moments.

As a passionate film lover, Perfect Days felt like an emotional cleanse—stripped of drama, overflowing with depth.

Plot Summary (No Spoilers)

Hirayama (played masterfully by Koji Yakusho) is a middle-aged man who works as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. His life is built on repetition: waking early, tending to his plants, cleaning public toilets with quiet pride, eating simple meals, and capturing moments with his analog camera.

He listens to cassette tapes of The Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, and Otis Redding while driving to work. He reads William Faulkner and Patricia Highsmith. He smiles rarely but sincerely. His life is slow, minimal, and deeply intentional.

There is no major twist, no dramatic outburst—just gentle ripples of connection as people unexpectedly enter his routine. What unfolds is a quiet revelation of who Hirayama is, and what he’s left behind.

Themes: Where the Mundane Becomes Meaningful Simplicity as a Philosophy

Wenders shows us how peace and contentment can be found in repetition. Hirayama’s life is modest, but he lives it with mindfulness. Each task is sacred. Each moment is noticed.

Nostalgia & Memory

The film lovingly frames analog objects—cassette players, old books, film cameras—as vessels of memory. Hirayama doesn’t chase the modern world; he quietly builds a world of his own.

Solitude vs. Loneliness

The line between solitude and loneliness is explored with nuance. Hirayama is not a sad man. He’s introspective, content—but human moments shake his calm just enough to show he still yearns, still feels.

Koji Yakusho: A Career-Defining Performance

Winner of Best Actor at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Koji Yakusho delivers a deeply internalized performance. He speaks very little, but his face tells entire stories. Every glance, every pause, every slow exhale reveals a man who has lived.

It’s a performance that doesn’t demand your attention—it earns it.

Cinematography & Music: Tokyo Like You’ve Never Seen

Filmed entirely in actual public toilets designed by world-famous architects (part of Tokyo’s THE TOKYO TOILETproject), the visuals are clean, symmetrical, and quietly striking. Director of photography Franz Lustig creates painterly frames with natural light and stillness.

The music is a nostalgic time capsule—The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, Nina Simone—bringing a warm retro heartbeat to the film. Each track feels like a portal into Hirayama’s inner world.

Why Perfect Days Feels So Powerful

In an era where films are often overloaded with plot and action, Perfect Days reminds us that silence can be just as expressive. It’s not a story with a big climax, but a slow unfolding of emotion. It encourages us to look around, to breathe deeper, to notice the trees, the sky, the people.

It’s cinema as meditation, and in a world that rarely slows down, it feels revolutionary.

Awards & Recognition

• Best Actor – Koji Yakusho, Cannes Film Festival 2023

• Japan’s Official Entry to the Academy Awards 2024 (Best International Feature Film)

• Widespread critical acclaim across Europe, Asia, and North America

• Rated 95%+ on Rotten Tomatoes

Final Verdict: A Must-Watch for Lovers of Slow Cinema

If you’re someone who values depth over drama, silence over sound, and moments over milestones, then Perfect Days is for you. It’s a reminder that we don’t need extravagant adventures to feel alive. Sometimes, a clean toilet, a song from the past, or a small smile can be enough.

It’s not just a movie—it’s a mirror, quietly reflecting the parts of ourselves we often overlook.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Watch It If You Loved:

• Paterson (2016) by Jim Jarmusch

• Tokyo Story (1953) by Yasujirō Ozu

• The Straight Story (1999) by David Lynch

• Into Great Silence (2005)

 

The post Perfect Days Movie Review: A Soulful Masterpiece About Finding Joy in Routine appeared first on Lifeandtrendz.