In the opening of Perfect Days, we watch as a middle aged man tends to his daily rituals. No flashy editing, no music, just a simple man going about his routine. In any other movie, this scene would have bored audiences to death, yet, we were both enthralled and captured in this moment. This is what makes Perfect Days such a special movie.

The movie follows the middle aged Hirayama, who cleans toilets for a living. While most may see this job as degrading, he manages to find the joy in the simple things of life. It isn’t a movie with a lot of plot, centering squarely on his perspective of events, but that’s the point of the film. As the main character would simply protest, it’s about the little things that make life worth living.

One of the many pros of this movie is its use of atmosphere. This feeling of content is presented through its very minimal use of music, allowing for the sounds of the day to remain present and put you into this world. The cinematography as well manages to make you feel at peace, with its many gorgeous and to the point camera shots. At some points, the camera will literally move with the character, creating an authentic aesthetic that places you in the moment of the scene. It rarely uses multiple shots or planned out scenes, because this movie manages to make everything seem seamless and not planned. It somehow makes the simple act of following this man clean toilets all day to be very engaging, even if not a lot happens. It’s all carried by the main performance by Koji Yakusho, who can perfectly embody the feeling and emotions of a normal person, while still displaying his own quirks and charms. 

What also makes this film very interesting is with how they managed their budget of $14 million. For comparison, the average movie budget is estimated to be around $65 million, while modern blockbusters, such as Oppenheimer and Barbie, are estimated to be above $100 million.  It definitely does feel low budget, but it adds to the charm of watching a very average day in Tokyo. Nothing feels out of place and the world truly feels lived in.

Overall, Wim Wenders and Takuma Takasaki managed to tell a very simplistic yet emotional story. Perfect Days shows that you don’t need a huge plot to make a movie good, and that’s what makes this an extraordinary watch. If you are ever in need of a break from more high budget and conventional movies, we say that you should give this unconventional slice of life a shot. We highly recommend this movie to everyone.