All Screenings: Pre-recorded introduction from director Wim Wenders and lead actor Koji Yakusho
Nominated for the Academy Award® for Best International Feature Film
An absorbing slice-of-life drama led by a remarkable performance, this quietly soaring gem in Wim Wenders’ estimable filmography is a poignant character study and an emotionally charged journey into the soul of Tokyo through an unusual guide: the architectural marvels of some of Tokyo’s public toilets, as cleaned by soulful protagonist Hirayama (Koji Yakusho). Outside of his structured routine, Hirayama cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world. As if in search of a new cinema on the road, Wenders follows his protagonist and instead discovers new places of the heart. Through Yakusho/Hirayama, Wenders captures the poetry of the everyday with intimacy and stunning simplicity.
“Wenders’ PERFECT DAYS is a character study in which the narrative keeps pace with its protagonist, flowing meditatively, in tune with his calm, centered self… A sublime validation of the ordinary, a film replete with grace, harmony, and hope that overwhelms and engulfs you in its humane world.” —Namrata Joshi, Cinema Express “PERFECT DAYS is a movie about art, exploring how in the midst of chaos, it’s not labor but the physical objects of beauty that we weave into our lives — paperback novels, cassette tapes of favorite albums, carefully tended bonsai plants, a perfectly framed photograph — that structure and give our days meaning… A poem of extraordinary subtlety and beauty.” —Alissa Wilkinson, Vox “First commissioned as a short film project celebrating Tokyo’s state-of-the-art public toilets — the great social equalizer — Wenders snatches the concept and doesn’t so much run with it as much as he strolls with it in the park while contemplating dreams, the dignity of labor, and the fleeting joys of waking moments.” —Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire
