Perfect Days was my favorite movie of 2024, and now on my list of favorite films overall. Really enjoyed your essay and the takes on what to make of this character's inner life, especially in those final minutes of the film. It's such a tender, meditative story, and I appreciated the penetrating glimpses of a life that ultimately will remain a mystery. The final sequence is something that will stay with me — incredibly revealing but ultimately impossible to unravel.
Thanks for reading! It’s really a wonderful film and that final sequence is an all timer. I think it was in the Mubi podcast linked to in this post, but Wim Wenders was saying that he and a couple other crew members were crammed into the car for that and the camera man was so moved he couldn’t see through his tears, so Wenders had to make sure Koji Yakusho was still in frame.
Amazing "DVD extra" behind-the-scenes anecdote about that sequence. Thanks for sharing.
And just a separate film recommendation, which shares some of the powerfully quiet emotional elusiveness/mystery of "Perfect Days": "After Life" by Hirokazu Kore-eda. If you haven't seen, I highly recommend. Beautiful film.
Oh, that would have been a real treat to see in a theater (shout out to local indie cinema curators!).... hopefully it will cycle back into the programming and you can catch it next time.
Perfect Days was my favorite movie of 2024, and now on my list of favorite films overall. Really enjoyed your essay and the takes on what to make of this character's inner life, especially in those final minutes of the film. It's such a tender, meditative story, and I appreciated the penetrating glimpses of a life that ultimately will remain a mystery. The final sequence is something that will stay with me — incredibly revealing but ultimately impossible to unravel.
Thanks for reading! It’s really a wonderful film and that final sequence is an all timer. I think it was in the Mubi podcast linked to in this post, but Wim Wenders was saying that he and a couple other crew members were crammed into the car for that and the camera man was so moved he couldn’t see through his tears, so Wenders had to make sure Koji Yakusho was still in frame.
Now I need to rewatch it.
Amazing "DVD extra" behind-the-scenes anecdote about that sequence. Thanks for sharing.
And just a separate film recommendation, which shares some of the powerfully quiet emotional elusiveness/mystery of "Perfect Days": "After Life" by Hirokazu Kore-eda. If you haven't seen, I highly recommend. Beautiful film.
Our local indie just screened this and I missed it! I was so bummed. I’ll have to catch up with it though.
Oh, that would have been a real treat to see in a theater (shout out to local indie cinema curators!).... hopefully it will cycle back into the programming and you can catch it next time.