PERFECT DAYS PG

All cisterns go…

‘Does my toilet humour bother you?’

★★★★★ OUT 23 FEBRUARY CINEMAS

The life of a humble toilet cleaner servicing latrines in Tokyo’s Shibuya district might not seem like a concept flush with promise. But in veteran director Wim Wenders’ (Anselm, Paris, Texas) quietly affecting, beautifully modulated study of everyday human existence, it becomes a rich and resonant metaphor for the simple pleasures of making do, counting your blessings and deriving satisfaction from a job well done.

Every morning Hirayama (Kôji Yakusho) awakes, trims his tache and sets off to work in the minivan that houses his sanitary equipment. His regime is a solitary one, soundtracked by whichever of his vintage cassette tapes (Patti Smith, Lou Reed) takes his fancy that day.

Yet while his routine rarely alters, his interactions with a young work-shy apprentice (Tokio Emoto), a niece who pays him an unexpected visit (Arisa Nakano) and the various urbanites he meets on his rounds make each day as different as the photographs he takes during his lunch break of sunlight refracted through foliage.

Exploring the Japanese notion of ‘mono no aware’ (a philosophical term for the awareness of impermanence), Perfect Days is a meditative film that requires patience and forbearance. Stick with it, though, and you’ll be amply rewarded, not least by the way it lightheartedly celebrates Tokyo’s cutting-edge public conveniences.

THE VERDICT

A modest drama that gently asks the viewer to surrender to its intimate, contemplative rhythm.