Perfect Days
I love this film so much, and it's hard to pinpoint a main reason why. It left me feeling warm ig and happy, something other films have given me, but not in this way. Watching the life of hirayama felt strangely comforting. It made me realise that you can get so much more out of life if you just focus on the small moments. How a relatively simple life can be so meaningful.
Hirayama barely speaks throughout the film, and it makes you focus on his character much more. Idk why but I prefer it when characters don't have to express emotions or other things through words. Sometimes Hirayama seems happy, sometimes lonely, possibly sad but I think he mostly feels at peace. It felt very real.
The film's routine structure never got boring, instead it felt calm and reassuring. It made ordinary things have meaning - the light through the trees, his bike rides or the music playing in the van.
Some of my favourite moments were the bike ride across the bridge with Niko and the scene with Brown Eyed Girl playing. The soundtrack overall is incredible, with songs like Perfect Day and Sleepy City fitting the tone of the film perfectly.
The ending was bittersweet. Seeing Hirayama finally let his emotions show while listening to music felt like everything he’d been holding inside was coming out at once.
What I love about this film is that it doesn't rely on an emotionally heavy story, large impact moments or a conventional plot. Instead, it reveals the beauty of everyday life that we all over look and makes me want to have routine and structure as it gives meaning and something to follow.