Perfect Days (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

A perfect film, closely accompanying a public toilet cleaner in Japan. It doesn’t hurt that the actor Koji Yakusho, reflecting his responses to his routine, is very handsome.I was surprised to see it listed as a Wim Wender’s film, the German filmmaker best known by me for the very strange Wings of Desire. It’s one of the best Japanese films I’ve seen!

I highly recommend this movie! I saw this a year ago and absolutely fell in love with it's simple beauty of living life with an old soul.

THE best movie I have seen in years. You will remember and think about this movie long after you see it.

I have seen several times on theaters and streaming and I have to say I was stunned by the quality of this transfer.

Not many films have ever moved me to tears, but PERFECT DAYS somehow did. That is not because of any sadness or sentimentality in the film, but because of its almost miraculous way of trespassing into truth: PERFECT DAYS somehow manages to touch the hem of truth in our experience of life. Here we have shifting reflections of humanity's pendulum of thought and emotion, an approximation of truth in light of the existential dilemma of purpose and meaning. However, this dimension of the film is not underscored, but ever gently suggested until the ending's catharsis. It is a philosophical film without any real mention of philosophy, but with an impact that hits the soul.If you're a Wim Wenders fan, PERFECT DAYS is basic viewing. If you know Koji Yakusho—among Japan's most illustrious actors, who gives an astonishing performance here, the kind that's one for the ages—you know this is essential viewing. If you know neither, it's worth introducing yourself to them.I suppose at its simplest, PERFECT DAYS is a demonstration of how an older man, Hirayama, has discovered a life that can be well lived. It may not be my choice of a life or yours, but its possibility implies that we can all find the life that brings us peace and self-fulfillment, even if it's unconventional or not the easiest of lives. There are charming and sometimes humorous elements in the depiction of Hirayama's life, and as we learn about him—a "lesson" that, to me, was continually interesting—we're treated to Tokyo and various secondary characters who are distinctive and seem very real, indeed. And the more the film opens up to include those other characters, the more we learn about Hirayama, every tiny detail almost like a little gem.Those who need lots of physical/plot action in movies may not be able to stick with Wenders' film long enough to see its strengths and feel its overwhelming power. But if you're a gracious enough filmgoer, and patient, you will be well paid for your time and effort by the perfect end of PERFECT DAYS.

How I love this movie, let me count the ways. 1) Superb direction and cinematography; 2) incredible feat of acting; with little dialogue much is conveyed through glances, facial expressions and simple actions - Kōji Yakusho is on a short list of actors who could have pulled off this part according to director Wim Wenders, and I agree with him; 3) the music is perfectly selected to accompany the film - just love the soundtrack; 4) anyone who watches the film and doesn't think much is going on is missing a lot. This is a movie I've seen numerous times, and I know it will remain a favorite for a long time.

I really like this movie. It’s kind of peaceful and relaxing and it’s about the mundanity of daily life and the beauty in that. The story does have some conflict but it’s definitely no action movie. Don’t get your expectations out of wack. This is an artistic movie made on a very low budget and character study of one man who works a boring job as a janitor and goes home and listens to cassettes at night. If that sounds interesting to you, you’ll probably love this movie. Also if you have any passing interest in Japan.I strongly recommend it. Especially for the sale price. And it comes with some nice special features too

One of the best movies I saw in 2024, had to own it on bluray.

Everybody in the world (perhaps, with a few exceptions) loves watching movies. What they actually experience when they watch something can only be the subject of conjecture.Japanese cinema is in a class all by itself. Ozu, Kurosawa and Imamura (to name just three out of hundreds of other examples) produced undisputed masterpieces of triumphant storytelling but what each of these masters truly have in common is the detailed exploration of morally complex individuals and their relationships with other equally complex humans.Do their films have complex incidents; are they plot-driven action films? Maybe the answer is yes for most of Kurosawa’s oeuvre but it is definitely a no for the others. Western cinema, despite the brave and impulsive arthouse auteurs, tends to be fuelled by inciting incident and plot development and this tendency is perhaps the style that a lot of film-watchers expect.So it is no surprise that a lot of reviewers on this page find Mr Wender’s film boring. His central character’s day consists of getting up, going to work, stopping off at his friend's yakitori stand for a bite to eat and then going to bed. On weekends he goes to the bath house and reads Hemingway.Somehow, however (and this is a sign of Mr Wender’s mastery), this is hugely compelling and instructive which leads to the question: Why is that?In Perfect Days Mr Wenders has tapped into the storytelling style of the Japanese cinema greats. His effort is given enormous momentum through the casting of Koji Yakusho who plays the toilet cleaner Hirayama. Yakusho has the power to convey the lived experience of Hirayama and Mr Wenders creates the space and the mise en scene to allow Yakusho to weave his extraordinary magic.The original question most probably should be: Should entertainment require effort? All of Mr Wender’s films generally require a large degree of the work to be done by the audience but that effort usually results in tremendous reward as it does in the case of this film.

No lo pudo leer mi Blu-ray ni en el de mi Xbox Series X.Además Criterion debería ampliar sus horizontes con regiones y subtítulos, limitarse al inglés es bastante retrógrada.

Easily my favourite movie of 2023 and the extra features on Criterion discs are always fantastic.A quick description of the movie - it follows a man whose job is cleaning toilets in the Tokyo sanitation system - doesn't do it justice. It's a meditation of a quiet life, finding beauty in routine and life's small moments.

I've seen most of Win Wenders' movies, and I rate this his best. The story, the characters he created and the directing are all first rate. The protagonist leads a modest, frugal life but shows that doesn't prevent his from finding self-respect, self-worth and happiness.

This is a perfect movie, just what the world needs now. Like Mozart's music, this film is profound in its simplicity. Domo Arrigato.