“Perfect Days” achieves perfect serenity

Perfect Days

Starring Kôji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano, Aoi Yamada, Yumi Aso, Sayuri Ishikawa, Tomokazu Miura and Min Tanaka. Written by Wim Wenders and Takuma Takasaki. Directed by Wim Wenders. Now playing at TIFF Lightbox, expands Feb.. 23 across Canada. 124 minutes. PG

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of 4)

Peter Howell

Movie Critic

The Japanese word “komorebi” refers to sunlight shimmering through leaves.

Hold that calming thought and behold how beautifully it is expressed in “Perfect Days,” the glorious new film by Wim Wenders.

It stars Kôji Yakusho, the best actor winner at Cannes 2023, as humble Tokyo civic cleanser Hirayama, for whom joy is a sparkling toilet and a serene mind.

In Wenders’ reverie, inspired by the observant films of Japanese auteur Yasujirō Ozu, Hirayama is cheerfully employed scrubbing public loos. He loves his work, his classic rock cassettes and his well-thumbed novels. Hirayama also likes to snap photos — on film, of course — of trees and their “komorebi” effect.

He’s an analogue man in a digital world, unfettered by anxieties apart from dealing with his dopey co-worker and rebellious niece.

But can it last? The answer is all in the perfectly divine telling. No other film in recent times made me smile as much as this one, or prompt more repeat viewings. 🌓

(This review was originally published in the Toronto Star.)

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