"Perfect Days" gives us a glimpse into the life of Hirayama, a man who spends his day in strict routine. A routine that spans from his job as a toilet cleaner to his afternoon visits at the public bath and even to the evenings on his day off at the local Izakaya. Breaking this routine are only short moments of joy where we can see Hirayama taking a moment to appreciate the little details around him, such as a sapling growing underneath a tree or the faint reflections of a passerby on the brushed metal ceiling of the bathroom he just cleaned.
It's not until a few days into the routine that we learn more about the background of this character that we've been so closely observing. "Perfect Days" gives you a lot of freedom to see Hirayama as the unassuming worker who chose a life in solitude or a more tragic figure as an estranged brother who doesn't keep contact with his family.
I saw Hirayama as a grieving father who visits the Jizo shrine on his day off to pray for his lost child and grieves by living life in the past through books and 80's rock. It's the grief that has him shelter the saplings to watch them grow. This Hirayama keeps up a façade of being content with watching the light as it falls through the leaves or blowing bubbles in the bath. A façade that breaks down in the final scene, where he tries hard to enjoy the music he's usually so in love with but can't help but burst out in tears.
"Perfect Days" is a masterpiece of a character study that doesn't try too hard to tell a story but lets you observe Hirayama for a few days of his life and hopes that you can find a little bit of yourself in him. 10/10.
It's not until a few days into the routine that we learn more about the background of this character that we've been so closely observing. "Perfect Days" gives you a lot of freedom to see Hirayama as the unassuming worker who chose a life in solitude or a more tragic figure as an estranged brother who doesn't keep contact with his family.
I saw Hirayama as a grieving father who visits the Jizo shrine on his day off to pray for his lost child and grieves by living life in the past through books and 80's rock. It's the grief that has him shelter the saplings to watch them grow. This Hirayama keeps up a façade of being content with watching the light as it falls through the leaves or blowing bubbles in the bath. A façade that breaks down in the final scene, where he tries hard to enjoy the music he's usually so in love with but can't help but burst out in tears.
"Perfect Days" is a masterpiece of a character study that doesn't try too hard to tell a story but lets you observe Hirayama for a few days of his life and hopes that you can find a little bit of yourself in him. 10/10.