Nominated for an Oscar for Best International Feature
Leave it to boundary crossing German filmmaker Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire; Paris, Texas) to direct a film that became Japan’s entry into the Academy Awards. Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) is content with his mostly solitary life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Beyond his structured daily routine, he reads, takes photos of trees with a throw-back camera, and listens to his cherished cassette recordings of The Animals, The Kinks, Patti Smith and Lou Reed on his drive to and from work. When his teenage niece shows up unexpectantly, he attempts to show her how to lead a simpler, quieter life.
“Perfect Days shares the poetic, contemplative rhythms of Ozu (Tokyo Story) at his most lyrical; even Wenders’s squared-off frame evokes a quieter, more harmonious era.” — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
“A beautifully observed paean to caretaking — both physical and philosophical — the movie is led, with sublime joy, by the great Japanese actor Koji Yakusho.” — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
directed by
Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
written by
Wim Wenders, Takuma Takasaki
Wim Wenders, Takuma Takasaki
with
Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano
Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano
language
Japanese, English (with English subtitles)
Japanese, English (with English subtitles)
country
Japan, Germany
Japan, Germany