In an era dominated by ephemeral images and superficiality, "Perfect Days" stands out like a diamond in the rough, expertly crafted by an acclaimed international director. Ten years of dedication and an entire career culminate in a masterpiece that unites the audience in an embrace of emotions.
Over the course of the two hours of this film, we immerse ourselves in a seemingly bare life of frills, where the essentials are everything. The protagonist, a man who cleans public toilets in Tokyo, guides us through a dance of minimalism and depth. His bare house becomes a symbol of authenticity, while the superfluous dissolves like snow in the sun.
Wim Wenders, the director, is no stranger to these territories. Already in "Tokyo-Ga" in 1985, he had explored the cinema of Yasujirō Ozu, the Japanese master of cinematic minimalism. Now, with the character of Hirayama, Wenders returns to that fertile ground, digging even deeper into the culture and the human soul.
For film and fashion enthusiasts, "Perfect Days" is an invitation to look beyond the surface. It's a journey to the essence, an ode to the beauty hidden in simple things. And as the big screen envelops us, we wonder if perhaps perfection is right here, in the folds of a story that pulsates with life and truth.
Already in 1989, between the streets of Paris and the corners of Tokyo, Wim Wenders guided us through a kaleidoscope of images. Its goal? Capturing the soul of a Japanese designer: Yohji Yamamoto.
Cameras recorded the preparation of a Paris fashion show and the opening of a new store in Tokyo. Two cities, two worlds, in which Yamamoto moves and confronts himself. "Travel Notes on Fashion and the City" was the title of this documentary, a work commissioned by the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which explored the relationship between clothes and places.
Clothes, created by someone, worn by someone else within the postmodern frames offered by the metropolitan areas of the two big cities. In the deep black of Yamamoto's collections, the Japanese tradition resonates: the color of the peasant, the spirit of the samurai and the Bunraku theater. Yet, white and bright tones blend with shadow, as in the dreams of Hirayama, the man who cleans public toilets in Tokyo.
Wenders, in his documenting, with wise questions and attentive eyes, reveals the essence of Yamamoto. Not just as a fashion designer, but as a human being. No one can copy his signature, his style, his identity. This is what saves him, as well as Hirayama's unique style, perfect in the overalls he wears during his daily work.
But the relationship between the director and the designer is not limited to this work from the eighties. As in a kaleidoscopic game of mirrors, Wenders has transformed himself into the model that walked the Japanese designer's latest Fall/Winter 24/25 Parisian catwalk. Different generations of models took turns in pairs on the catwalk to compose a sort of family united by an invisible thread, as if they were the protagonists of a scene from "Perfect Days".
In the fiction of the film, Hirayama tells us that a dress is more than a garment. It's a way of saying who you are or who you would like to be, just as Yamamoto creates clothes without labels, without boundaries of gender or class. It is inspired by the past, by black and white photos that tell stories of different lives.
Like the existential trajectory of Hirayama, who polishes toilets, listens to old-fashioned cassettes and shoots with his old reflex camera. Images similar to those commented by Yamamoto and Wenders during the filming of "Travel Notes on Fashion and the City", such as that of Sartre portrayed by Cartier-Bresson on a bridge over the Seine.
Yohji interprets the image of the philosopher as if the loose coat that wraps around him is "a special friend", he attempts to achieve the ultimate and deepest meaning of a piece of clothing and Wenders wants to do the same in his cult films.
This article is an invitation to look beyond the surface, to discover the beauty hidden in simple things, and to reflect on the depth and authenticity that can be found in unexpected places. "Perfect Days" is not just a movie, but a journey towards the essence of humanity, and its whole world seems to me to be summed up in a mantra phrase: "now is now, another time is another time".
Rossano Bisio