When Awards Season came along, I read through all the films nominated at the big ceremonies, this one got my attention because it sounded like a basic but good concept, and because it is a Japanese language movie directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders (The American Friend, Paris, Texas; Wings of Desire). Basically, Hirayama (Babel's Kôji Yakusho) works as a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. He repeats a structured life almost every day. He gets up every morning at dawn, folds up his bed and sheets, brushes his teeth and shaves, sprays his plants in a small UV room, and gets dressed. Once outside, he gets a canned drink from the vending machine, takes a swig, and chooses a cassette tape for his journey in his van. He has a passion for the music of the 1960s and 1970s and listens to it to and from work. He takes great pride in his work with The Tokyo Toilet company, being thorough and precise cleaning the public lavatories around the city, only stopping to allow passers-by to relieve themselves. He takes a break to have a sandwich, often in the same park under the shade of some trees, and he often takes a photograph. Occasionally, he glances at a strange woman eating on an opposite bench beside him. At the end of his shift, he drives back and goes to the same sushi restaurant for dinner and a drink. After returning home, he always reads a book before going to sleep. This daily routine repeats on his workdays. During his free time, he does his laundry and visits the chemist to develop his photographs. At home, he checks through these photos, keeping the ones that are clear and throwing away the bad ones. He sometimes visits the same bookshop to find and buy something good to read, with the owner (Inuko Inuyama) often saying he has made a good choice. Hirayama's young assistant Takashi (Tokio Emoto) is often late, and he is not as thorough. Takashi meets a young woman named Aya (Aoi Yamada) and is eager to finish work to take her on a date. When Takashi's motorbike won't start, he convinces Hirayama to let him use his van. Needing some money, Takashi talks Hirayama into potentially selling a few of his cassette tapes, some being valued well if rare, but Hirayama refuses and gives him some cash instead, and buys a cassette for himself. One day, during his usual cleaning, Hirayama finds a slip of paper hidden in a stall with a game of Noughts & Crosses on it. He decides to play the game, which continues over time with the unknown writer until it is completed. Aya catches up with Hirayama to return a cassette she stole from him. She asks to play it in his van one last time, after which she kisses him before leaving, startling him. One day, Hirayama's niece Niko (Arisa Nakano) appears unannounced at his house, she has run away from home. While looking after her, he lets Niko come with him to work for the next two days. The two photograph the trees in the park and ride bikes together. Eventually, his wealthy estranged sister and Niko's mother Keiko (Yumi Asô) picks up her daughter in a chauffeured car. Keiko cannot believe he is a public toilet cleaner and asks him to visit their ill father who lives in a home. He refuses but hugs his sister, and after she leaves, he cries inconsolably. Takashi quits without giving notice, leaving Hirayama to cover his shift. Later, as Hirayama goes to his usual restaurant, he sees the owner embracing a man. Hirayama hurriedly leaves, buying beer and cigarettes to consume at a nearby riverbank. The man Hirayama saw the restaurant owner with turns up and asks him for a cigarette. The man tells him the restaurant owner is his ex-wife whom he divorced seven years ago, and she opened the restaurant following their divorce. The man tells Hirayama he has cancer and wants to make peace with his ex-wife before he dies. The man tells him to look after her, they play with their shadows after talking about them, before parting ways. As he begins a new week of work, Hirayama listens to "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone in his van. During the song, Hirayama's expression consistently changes from grinning broadly to verging on tears. Also starring Long Mizuma as Businessman, Bunmei Harada as Priest, and Miyako Tanaka as Old Lady with Brush. The soundtrack of songs includes "The House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed (the title obviously references this), "Sunny Afternoon" by The Kinks, and "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison. Celebrated Japanese actor Yakusho gives a terrific, understated performance, there is nothing dramatic that happens, his comfortable repetitive routine is occasionally interrupted, but for the lead character, the simplistic story and gentle pacing, and of course the great music, it is a most pleasant drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. Very good!
Review of Perfect Days
