Review by Michele E. Hawkins.
Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) is a middle-aged man living in Tokyo. His days begin as dawn breaks, when he rises from his bed and prepares for work: cleaning public facilities in various locations across Tokyo. At the end of his day, during which he diligently and conscientiously fulfills his tasks, Hirayama bathes, eats, reads, tends his plants, and reflects.
The simplicity and repetitiveness apparent in such a life belie its richness, which derives from all that Hirayama embraces, from the light filtering through the trees to a child’s smile.
Hirayama is living the life he has chosen for himself; has embraced the rhythm and simplicity of his days; has made his home calm and ordered; and is open to the small, often overlooked joys all around him. The beauty of the changing skies, the rescue of a fragile maple-tree shoot, the dancing of a homeless man, the singing of a bar owner, the reliable presence of a shop assistant, the sound of the street’s leaves being swept: all are part of Hirayama’s life. And each, in its way, brings him joy.
Perfect Days is a cinematic masterpiece, made remarkable by the astounding performance of Koji Yakusho as Hirayama.
Hirayama’s deep inner life and the journey he takes are revealed almost exclusively through subtle facial expressions, a testament to Yakusho’s immense talent. Here we see a man who, in the midst of one of the busiest cities in the world, lives free of modern-day distractions; eschews convenience for convenience’s sake; and holds true to his principles of hard work, conscientiousness, and kindness.
With little dialogue; a soundtrack largely comprising everyday background sounds, western music from the 1960s and ’70s, and silence; and cinematography that sweeps from the gritty dwellings of those in the lower socioeconomic classes to the beauty of temples and the magnificence of windswept trees, Perfect Days presents a study in unusual perception and appreciation of everyday reality that, for the contemplative, invites reflection long after viewing.