Perfect Days

Perfect Days gets its title from the Lou Reed song and in many ways tried to capture the essence of it. It follows the life of Hirayama as a modest toilet cleaner who has found contentment in his routine, getting up and taking care of plants, getting the same coffee from the vending machine, having the same sandwiches in the same park every day, going to the same public baths and having his same evening meal. When there is a disruption to his routine, Hirayama is mildly perturbed but accepts it as if this is part of how life goes.

The movie is not spectacular, it does not teach me anything new, or move me especially. But this is perhaps part of its philosophy that made me think that perhaps I have taken the wrong approach to life. I have been brought up to see the magic of life to be those moments when I am truly inspired, made to feel in awe of something spectacular or completely taken aback by a new discovery or idea. But perhaps we would all be happier if we stopped craving that dopamine so much. I am not saying we should all be toilet cleaners, but we should respect the nobility in this kind of job. Hirayama may be more spiritually fulfilled than many others in jobs we deem more fulfilling. Perhaps the goal of life should be more aligned to trying to find happiness with as little as possible, as opposed to seeking as much as possible to cure our sadness.

Perfect Days is the kind of slow cinema that doesn't leave gaping moments pregnant with emotion but is rather a quirky voyeurism into minimalist life. One that felt pleasant and reassuring to watch. I would recommend this film to anyone who feels lonely, especially for introverts, as it can remind you why being an introvert can be so gratifying.

On its most obvious level, the film is about the beauty that can be found in the mundane. It's about the things that could be more appreciated, if we weren't so blinded by spectacle, drama and the need to impress others with our success. On a less obvious level, it is a spiritual film that takes a new perspective on the idea of samsara; the buddhist notion of being trapped in the repetitive cycles of life that make us suffer. Instead, it sees these cycles as something we can find peace with, by becoming one with them and accepting them. It is a vague homage to Walden's work on the nobility of living in harmony with the cycles of nature, except that in this film, Hiroyama has found those cycles in modern city living.