đĽ
What a lovely little shadowbox of a film.
The plot concerns a quiet man, Hirayama, who works as a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo's Shibuya ward. And his highly structured, routinized way of living both on the job as well as his leisure time pursuits (his passion for music, played mostly on vintage cassettes in his van throughout the movie; nature photography done the old-fashioned analog way; and reading the works of authors such as Faulkner and Aya Koda). There are some scenes that are highly reminiscent of the way that Sofia Coppola depicted Tokyo in "Lost in Translation" - dreamy, impressionistic, focused on images of beauty and human emotion vs. script that "moves the plot along."Â
Tokyo is one of my favorite places in the world and it's reminding me I need to get back there soon.Â
PS: Uncle Lou Reed would have been very proud of this film had he lived to see it.Â
PPS: Boy is Koji Yakusho amazing in the lead role. No wonder he won best actor at Cannes last year for this performance.
Apr 11, 2024
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I just saw Win Wenders' "Perfect Days" at the cinema. I know it's already on Mubi and I know it's already been in cinemas in the Northern Hemisphere. But it premiered in SĂŁo Paulo this week.
I'm not a Win Wenders girl. Sure, he's a tremendous auteur, one of the greats. I was super impacted by the atmosphere of "Der Himmel Ăźber Berlin" (which was beautifully titled "Asas do Desejo", in Brazil) and by Nastassja Kinski's pink angora jumper in "Paris Texas," but never became a follower.
And yet: "Perfect Days" is a perfect film, one that only a dedicated filmmaker in complete control of his craft, surrounded by ideal condition, could make.
The synopsis: "Hirayama lives a life of blissful contentment, spending his days balancing his job as a caretaker of Tokyoâs public toilets with his passion for music, literature, and photography. His structured routine is slowly interrupted by unexpected encounters that force him to reconnect with his past."
There's nothing I like more than going to the movies and then going out to eat afterwards, talking about the film on the way, during the meal, and on the way home. The success of the endeavour depends, of course, on the film. There are movies, even some that are very entertaining and enjoyable to watch, that quickly run out of steam. The subject changes, you don't think about what you saw any more, life moves on.
And then there are movies like this one, where a seemingly banal story (the routine of a toilet cleaner in Tokyo) gives way to dreamlike sequences, to display of characters you want to know more about, to being unexpectedly moved to tears, rooting for a beautiful ending for our gentle protagonist (the spectacular Koji Yahusko). And it also talks about photographs, music, books, architecture. It's rare that so much is said in so little time in a film. I left the cinema feeling like I gained two hours of life. Made me want to be a better person, really, it is just beautiful.
10/10. Please, don't miss it.
Mubi: https://mubi.com/en/br/films/perfect-days
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/perfect-days-2023/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTgWYojq-z8
ps: anyone who has ever used a public toilet in SĂŁo Paulo will be envious of the public toilets in Tokyo.
Feb 18, 2024
âź this one is for my current weebs, weebs in remission, and former weebsâźď¸
in all seriousness, perfect days by wim wenders might be one of my favorite films i've seen all year. a very poignant and rewarding watch that whisks us into the daily life of hirayama, a japanese toilet cleaner; we get to see his routines, his restraint, his loneliness, his triumph, his killer music taste.
the painstaking detail wenders gives to the setting feels like a love letter to tokyo. the city feels alive, the public toilets are really nice, i loved the record store scene's ambiance.
definitely check out if you get the chance!
Mar 23, 2024
Ok, itâs about a Tokyo toilet cleaner. And he barely speaks. But bear with me.
Itâs a film that is luminous with beauty from a director nearing the end of his life (Wim Wenders is in his eighties.) And it says so much about what is important in life, and what isnât âŚ
Relinquishing complication, I think, is the key. Plus the quietness of simplicity. And the ability to cleave to a simple life - if you possibly can. And having the courage to be singular; to not care what others think of you (the ultimate freedom.)
Lessons, lessons, all the life lessons. I still think about the gift of this film, months after I was immersed in it.
I left the cinema ⌠cleansed.
Feb 17, 2025
Top Recs from @coreydubrowa
Hey tyler hopefully this doesnât violate some PI.FYI golden rule
But after nearly two years of writing, editing and arguing, my book about the EP is coming out in May and can be preordered here:
https://hozacrecords.com/product/aifl/
The book is about the origins, history and cultural impact of the EP since these little objects first started coming out in the 50s.
Over 50 of my music biz friends then helped me shape the list and review the top 200 ever released, according to us (ha).
For those of you who are into this kind of geekery/snobbery, I canât wait to hear what you think. A labor of love, as all books are! â¤ď¸
Mar 27, 2024
âSongs Of a Lost Worldâ coming to a goth listening station near you Nov 1 đ¤
The fr FW Me Friday the 13th the world was looking for
Sep 14, 2024
I will fail to explain just how much this band meant to me in the 90s.
So I will borrow from AV Club who did a fine job of distilling it:
âUnwound is the best band of the â90s. Not just because of how prolific, consistent, and uncompromising it was, but because of how perfectly Unwound nested in a unique space between some of the most vital forms of music that decade: punk, post-rock, indie rock, post-hardcore, slow-core, and experimental noise. That jumble of subgenres doesnât say much; in fact, it falls far short of what Unwound truly synthesized and stood for. Unwound stood for Unwound. But in a decade where most bands were either stridently earnest or stridently ironic, Unwound wasnât stridently anything. It was only itself. In one sense Unwound was the quietest band of the â90s, skulking around like a nerdy terror cell. In another sense it was the loudest, sculpting raw noise into contorted visions of inner turmoil and frustration.â
R.I.P. Vern Rumsey.
This is their finest song, from their finest album.
I really canât say enough about the sheer bloody minded genius of this group. đ¤
Mar 23, 2024