Perfect Days

To put it simply this film is truly beautiful!! I saw this last night with a Q&A with wenders himself and I gotta say I loved every second of this film! A small film but it’s got such a big message about life and the power of being present! A study of everyday life around probably one of the most uninteresting figures you could think to craft an entire character study around but it just works so flawlessly, it’s slow and appreciative and shares a really great message that the freedom you choose to make your own destiny even the simplest of choices is true happiness, this is something everyone can learn from as it really does excel in its thoughtful simplicity which is nothing short of mesmerising. It’s written very beautifully, I think the cinematography is so simple but really grabs you in and just shows you what the lead (hirayama) sees everyday! Performance wise amazing truly great performance and koji has very little to say you rely on facial and bodily expressions a lot of the time and he truly expresses every emotion on show for the entire runtime. He lives a life of “lonely” quiet solitude which to some places there is a stigma around being alone but in other places like Japan it’s the opposite, it’s looked on as a positive an example that YOU are appreciated of your own circumstances and I think Wim gets the cultural unfamiliarity bang on. We never leave hirayma side for pretty much the majority of the movie, he embraces life as it comes but nothing ever feels like a montage even the soundtrack which is a wonderful selection from 70s and 80s is an embodiment of presence and a subtle reminder that we are with him every second of the day, the repetition and the pacing is honestly brilliant, we get to see just how meaningful the smallest moments are. Perfect days is a moving depiction of how we can find clarity, acceptance and joy by taking in the current moment and allowing our lives to unfold one day at a time! Now nothing about this movie is “too sweet” or emotionally manipulative, the concept of presences is never presented as “no problems” or that magically makes all lifes problems disappear. It’s not about running from them or being delusional far from it I think, it offers a much more realistic example of how presence can be the basis of life with purpose cause everyone is looking for a sense of purpose and to find clarity in every moment or else you’ll have a lot of regret, it really drills into you that now is now and it will only and ever be now! Just a really uncomplicated but thought provoking piece of art that is packed full of emotion with an epic soundtrack and something that will stick with you forever with its message! Bravo