The cinematic narrative of films has long been touted as an exploration of human existence on Earth and occasionally beyond. With tales, complex meanings could be presented on screen. German filmmaker, writer, author, and photographer Wim Wenders takes viewers on an existential odyssey in Perfect Days by tracing the feelings of freedom, loneliness, death, and emptiness that accompany our highs and lows in life.
Wim Wanders, the director of The Salt of the Earth, which brings out the highly prominent photographer Sebastiao Salgado’s life on the screen of cinema, now portrays a Tokyo-based toilet cleaner who carries the most influential philosophical concepts in a tedious routine. He says something beyond what we experience every single day. Public restroom cleaning may sound like an annoying job, but Hirayama, the main character in Perfect Dyas, finds a silver lining in it. He maintains an idyllic existence by managing his professional obligations as a custodian of public restrooms while also pursuing his fervor for literature, music, and photography.
Wim Wenders, a master storyteller, is renowned for his ability to blend introspection, symbolism, and captivating visuals. It is demonstrated that his collaboration with Koji Yakusho has developed into a captivating exploration of themes such as urban anonymity, personal fulfillment, and the inherent beauty of a seemingly mundane occupation. Yakusho, the performer of Lost Paradise, Under the Open Sky, and The Pass: The Last Days of the Samurai, depicts a laconic, wise, and responsible man who cares for life for its own sake. His appreciation for ordinary, inconsequential objects of pleasure, his thoughtfulness regarding the phenomena that surround him, and his pleasant smile are all conveyed appreciatively through his facial expressions and gestures.
During his commute in Tokyo, while not scrubbing public facilities, Hirayama transports his cleaning supplies and listens to lavish cassettes from the past. Alongside photographing and planting trees, he enjoys reading the works of William Falkner. Perfect Days by Wim Wanders is a masterful metaphor for internal and external purification. The film appears to be perusing “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl, which was published in 1946. Hirayama is present to observe that momentous journey of presence, which is the contribution of “Here and Now.” A sense of freedom and the appreciation of solitude while Hirayama indulges his mind, body, and spirit are all indications of “Amor fati,” which literally translates to “love of fate.”
However, one cannot dispute the impact that agonies have on one’s existence. Something at its highest moment will descend to its lowest. In his narration, Wim Wanders adeptly portrays the opposition. Hirayama’s amicable interactions with members of society, including his colleague, the woman he sits and grins at daily in the same park, and the barmaid, culminate in a negative collision involving himself and his sister. When confronted with life’s ugly truths, he is there to remind us that brightness and dark are complementary aspects of the same coin.
Wim Wenders’s Perfect Days is a film that never tires you, even for more than two hours, depicting the protagonist engaging in repetitive activities. It is akin to immersing oneself in an ocean of silence, as the Japanese proverb goes: “We do not always need to use words. Silence can have significance as well.” Instead, Hirayama takes different aspects for granted.
On an additional occasion, Wim Wenders demonstrates his admiration for photography. A significant theme explored in the film is Hirayama’s dream, which intermittently manifests in blurry or black-and-white sequences and reveals the subtle spheres of human curiosity and unconscious awareness that are commonplace. All the day’s motifs reappear during his slumber. He is in communication with everything, from trees to individuals and other objects.
“The world is made up of many worlds; some are connected, and some are not.” The worlds that Wander brings out in Perfect Days are the worlds we experience in each moment of life. A more enjoyable experience for us as viewers would be to follow Hirayama as he navigates the intricate web of fractals that stretches beneath his feet. That is, whether you are in the middle of Tokyo’s chaos or lost in a dream, these are the moments when one must let go and let life guide them.
Wim Wenders, a major figure in New German cinema, has received prizes from the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals. Making a film based in Tokyo, Japan, using the local elements of silence, meditation, and observation of life, shows his power in storytelling and cinematography. He knows how to make the audience sit and immerse themselves in the narrative he shapes while also expanding their horizons on another respect of human existence on Earth—a wandering to seek and find.
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