In Perfect Days, which is Japan’s official entry to the 96th Academy Awards, we follow Hirayama, a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo, who has opted for a simple life. In a poignant scene, Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) says, “Next time is next time, now is now,” — a pronounced iteration of Carpe diem (seize the day), an eternal verse written by the Roman poet Horace. The film is replete with such poetic lines. When asked about the philosophical musings in the film, the auteur Wim Wenders says, “Perfect Days is a poetry.” According to the filmmaker, the central theme of the film is a grand proclamation to seize the day.
After four decades of filmmaking, Wenders’ prolific career has brought him a BAFTA award and Palme d’Or for Wings of Desire, along with three Academy Award nominations and a Grammy award. On why he thinks Perfect Days is inherently poetic in nature, the director says, “Hirayama is free. Actually, if you get rid of the burden of contemporary civilization, you will feel a certain liberation. Hirayama doesn’t have a television. He doesn’t know what Spotify is and doesn’t have internet access; his phone is just for making phone calls. He has renounced so many things and he is an incredibly free person. And freedom is the ultimate condition for poetry,” explains Wim Wenders.
Despite being one of the pioneers in New German Cinema, Wim’s artistry has transcended cultural barriers. He showed the American landscape in Paris, Texas. In Wings of Desire, he took us to a divided Germany in the 80s, while his documentary Buena Vista Social Club delves into the music of Cuba. “For me, the driving force to make a film is not the story or the character. The driving force for me is the place. If the place inspires me, I will spend time discovering it and listening to its stories and feelings, and then I will find out the story that can only take place here.
What is the story that this place needs? What is the character that belongs to this place? When a story, character and place blend together seamlessly, then I know that I want to make this movie,” says the director. However, he says the story of Perfect Days, “Came in the disguise of a letter from Tokyo”. Elaborating on that, Wim says, “The letter asked if I would be interested in coming and looking at an art project.
It was about 15 prominent Japanese architects who had built something minimal, the tiniest thing an architect could possibly build, which was a public toilet. At first, I thought I would make four small documentaries on the architects and their creations. However, I felt I could do much better if I could tell a real story with a real character and a script instead of a documentary.”
At a point where cinema relies heavily on heightened conflicts, Perfect Days is more of a character study. However, Wim shares that the world that we currently live in is the film’s conflict, “We made this film in a world where everybody wants more than they have. In a society where people constantly desire more than what they have, the protagonist in Perfect Days chooses to live a simpler life. He only consumes what he needs and doesn’t give in to the idea of accumulating more possessions. He only buys a new book after he finishes the one he currently has. He’s content with the old cassettes he has from his youth instead of buying new devices. He also finds joy in taking care of a small tree instead of buying new plants. He is happy because he knows not to consume more than he needs. So I think the film’s conflict is between a world in which we all want more and a character who says I don’t want more. I don’t need more. I’m happy with what I have. I don’t want more than that.”
Wenders signs off by saying, “A craftsman approaches every task as if it were their first time doing it. Even when cleaning the toilets, Hirayama approaches the task with the same care and attention as if it were his first time. I love that spirit, and that spirit made me accomplish Perfect Days.”
