FILM
PERFECT DAYS
MEET THE MOST CHARMING CINEMATIC CLEANER SINCE WALL•E
15 FEBRUARY-13 MARCH 2024 | EDITED BY JOHN NUGENT
Cleansing the soul: Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho) enjoys the simple pleasure of his daily visit to the public baths.
Hirayama polishes a porcelain palace
Cycling with his niece Niko (Arisa Nakano)
Losing himself in a book.
WATCH FIRST
The lead character, Hirayama, shares a name with the protagonist of Yasujirô Ozu’s film, 1962’s An Autumn Afternoon. Wenders — who made a documentary about Ozu, Tokyo-Ga — has said that it is “not a coincidence”.
★★★★
OUT 23 FEBRUARY / CERT PG / 123 MINS
DIRECTOR Wim Wenders
CAST Kōji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada
PLOT In Tokyo, toilet cleaner Hirayama (Yakusho) has a simple life, with everything just so… until an unexpected interruption brings change.