Wim Wenders’ latest is one of those films that’ll be miscategorized as “simple”, “light” or even “boring” to those that watch it casually or on a surface level. But beyond the time-filling hobbies and Jeanne Dielman-esque day to day routines of the film’s main character lies a heavy story about regret and making peace with the past.
Putting aside the excess baggage and semi-ambiguous family drama of the film’s main character, I find myself wanting to live the life of someone like Hirayama. He’s a simple man that takes pride in his job, loves music on cassette and spends his free time taking photographs of trees. Having outlets & serious hobbies other than your job/work/career is incredibly important to one’s sanity. I can personally attest to this. My obsession with digging for things like music & movies keeps me sane. Hirayama’s love of photography, trees, physical media and cozy local bars keeps
him sane. If he didn’t have those things he would be left alone with his thoughts of loneliness and the strained relationship with his family (it should be noted that his niece does make an effort to have some kind of a relationship with him).
Under a different director, the character of Hirayama would be a cartoonish iteration of Robert Crumb or Harvey Pekar. A curmudgeon that hates his own hobbies and prefers to be alone due to his hatred of most people. But Wim Wenders shows the positive side of niche hobbies and spending time alone.
Interestingly enough,
Perfect Days is a film that plays in to
my personal hobbies and healthy obsessions. On one hand, this is very much Wenders’ own movie but it also serves as a love letter to one Yasujiro Ozu. There’s lots of visual comparisons to be made form this film.
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Autumn Afternoon / Perfect Days
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of course Ozu's Spirit looms largely over the movie - Wim Wenders, Tiff.net
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Tokyo Story / Perfect Days
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I saw TOKYO STORY, and I stayed for the next three shows [of Ozu's films] that day until I stumbled out of the theatre late at night. I'd never seen anything that had so much shaken my world - Wim Wenders, AnOtherMagazine
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Late Spring / Perfect Days
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Late Spring / Perfect Days
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A Story Of Floating Weeds / Perfect Days
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Late Spring / Perfect Days
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Equinox Flower / Perfect Days
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Late Spring / Perfect Days
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Good Morning / Perfect Days
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Late Spring / Perfect Days
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Tokyo Chorus / Perfect Days
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Late Spring / Perfect Days
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Good Morning / Perfect Days
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Good Morning / Perfect Days
 | Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family / Perfect Days
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 | Tokyo Story / Perfect Days
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I’ve never taken Wenders for a Tarkovsky guy, but this particular moment from
Perfect Days (on the right) feels like an homage to the highway scene from
Solaris (also shot in Japan).
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Solaris / Perfect Days
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There’s even a coincidental connection to Wenders’ former mentee Jim Jarmusch (I like to imagine these two guys exist in the same universe)
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| Paterson / Perfect Days |
feels timeless with tons of replay value and is slowly becoming my go-to movie to put on when I can’t think of anything else to watch.
