Kondo wa kondo, ima wa ima.
Hirayama wakes at dawn to the sound of a broom sweeping the streets outside his modest flat east of the Sumida River. He makes his bed, marks the page on his book, and goes downstairs to brush his teeth, water his plants, and grab his keys and some spare change before going outside to look at the sky, breathe in, and smile. He grabs a coffee from a nearby vending machine, climbs into his van, and gets his music cassette ready. After a quick swig from his can humorously labelled 'BOSS', Hirayama drives off to begin his day as a cleaner of public toilets in Shibuya.
Wim Wenders' modern masterpiece, Perfect Days, is a complex meditation on work, routine, and meaning. It touches on a vast array of topics such as capitalism and class, existentialism and relationships, and estrangement and grief. Rarely do films feel so well-rounded in their nuanced exploration of context, politics, and aesthetics, while also being piercingly poignant in what they have to say about transcending the limits of the body and spirit.
Perfect Days is undoubtedly one of the great films of the twenty-first century; we could not help but watch it time and again to see and feel everything it has to offer. It is also one that is and will be important in the years to come, owing in no small measure to its thoughtful tone and sublime message, relevant more than ever in a world of growing alienation and individualism.
This latest episode is in two parts: this one on Perfect Days, and the other (right before), on a surprisingly similar film by Akira Kurosawa: Ikiru. We had a fantastic time thinking through both stories' impact, and hope you gain as much from our discussion as we did from the films! As always, we would love to hear your thoughts, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram, e-mail, or using a voice note on Spotify!
References:
1) Criterion Collection article by Bilge Ebiri, on Wim Wenders' filmography.
2) Reddit comment on abject loneliness in Perfect Days.
3) Article on the importance of Lou Reed to Wim Wenders and the former's presence in Perfect Days - Wim Wenders' Life Was Saved by Rock and Roll: Lou Reed is a mighty voice in my new film.
4) Dewansh mentions an article about how Perfect Days is a sanitized film. We are not able to link the source here (yet).
5) Dewansh reads something about the person experiencing homelessness. We are not able to link the source here (yet).
6) Aoi Yamada.
