Movie Review: 'Perfect Days' is My Favorite Movie of 2023

Perfect Days (2023)

Directed by Wim Wenders,

Written by Takuma Takasaki, Wim Wenders

Starring Koji Yakusho

Release Date November 10th, 2023

Published December 19th, 2023

The story behind Perfect Days, as Wikipedia tells it, is that friends of filmmaker Wim Wenders invited the director to Japan to view the remarkable new public restrooms that have been built in Tokyo. Each of these public restrooms was designed by an artist and built under their guidance. Not many people get a specific invitation to come and look at arty toilets but not everyone is Wim Wenders. These friends of Wenders hoped that by inviting the filmmaker to see these art installations that happen to be working public toilets, he would be inspired to make a short film about them. Instead, Wenders was inspired to make a two hour feature length movie about a humble man who takes pride in cleaning these incredible works of art, that happen to be public toilets.

The work of art inspired by Tokyo's remarkable art-toilet project is one of the most lovely, gorgeous, and inspiring movies that I have seen in my more than 20 years as a film critic. Perfect Days stars Koji Yakusho as Hiroyama. Hiroyama asks for little and doesn't expect much. He goes to work everyday for Tokyo Toilet Service and painstakingly cleans every inch of every public restroom on his route. He takes pride in his hard work, even as the people who make the mess take little care to make Hiroyama's job easier. The pride that Hiroyama takes in his job is inspiring and shows a man who may not appear special from a glance is a great deal more than the sum of your perceptions of him. That's true of everyone you meet but it feels special in this case because it's in a movie, a communal experience like few others in the world.

When Hiroyama isn't diligently assuring that every public restroom on his route is as clean as possible, he's listening to his collection of classic rock and underground cassette tapes. Dear reader, the soundtrack to Perfect Days is utterly sublime. The Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, The Animals, Otis Redding, the music of Perfect Days is a series of amazing needle drops that celebrate the greatest music of all time and appreciating that remarkable music and how it enriches our lives. The music and art we love and consume makes our lives better and when you consider that the public restrooms that Hiroyama takes such care to clean, the movie as a whole is about an appreciation of art of all kinds and a diligent dedication to appreciating the beauty of the world.

It's appropriate that a movie called Perfect Days would contain a pair of legitimately perfect scenes. One of these scenes celebrates the way music reaches around the world and transcends all barriers of culture and language. Hiroyama lives by a pattern, a pattern that includes going to the same bar on his day off every week. At this bar, the owner is known as Mama and she's this lovely woman who welcomes her regulars with open arms and a glass of water. She gives Hiroyama a little extra care when he comes in, something noted by the other regulars. On the occasion in which we observe this part of Hiroyama's routine, one of the patrons asks her to sing. It's clear that this is a regular part of her repertoire. Mama, played by the superb, Sayuri Ishikawa, proceeds to sing the most lovely version of House of the Rising Sun that I have ever heard and it's in Japanese. It took me a moment to recognize the song from the subtitles but when I did, I was overwhelmed at how the beauty of this song translates. Remarkable.

The second perfect scene proceeds from this part of Hiroyama's routine. He goes to the bar but finds it closed. When he returns again, he sees a man inside holding Mama as she cries. Embarrassed, Hiroyama leaves and buys a few beers and some cigarettes. He goes to a lovely park path area next to the water and seems to be sulking a little. Then, the man who was with Mama finds him and unfolds a terribly sad story. That story however, leads to a moment of childlike joy that bonds these two men together, if only a for a moment. You have to see it for yourself to feel the emotion and the catharsis and the sadness turning into transcendent joy, it's an absolutely marvelous scene, a perfect scene. My heart rises as I recall this moment in this incredible movie.

On top of all of the beautiful storytelling and the brilliant music, Perfect Days is also just gorgeous to look at. This will come as no surprise to those familiar with the work of Wim Wenders but for those not aware, this is a movie of stunning beauty. With cinematographer Franz Lustig, Wenders captures these perfectly composed shots that could stand on their own as works of art. The simple, subtle lighting of Hiroyama's bedroom is gorgeous. The trees that Hiroyama lovingly photographs during his lunch hour, and even moments where he's just riding his bike along the shore or having dinner at a cafe, are crafted in such a fashion as to be perfectly composed, lit, and captured on camera. I'm gushing at this point but I truly cannot sing the praises of this movie enough.

Perfect Days overwhelmed me with joy. The simplicity of a life lived to appreciate life. That's the heart of Perfect Days, appreciation for the gift of life. Celebrating art, living to enjoy the things that make you happy. Whether it's a Patty Smith song, the way sunlight comes through the leaves of a tree, or a beautifully crafted and artfully created public restroom, beauty is all around if you stop to appreciate it. Life is better when you focus on the things that make you happy, little moments of joy that enrich your soul. Perhaps I didn't need a movie to help me have this particular revelation, but I am so glad I have Perfect Days. This movie reached into my soul and made me feel whole again. It's a work of remarkable art and yet, it's so simple and accessible. It's brilliant. You must see Perfect Days.

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