Fans of cinema have eagerly awaited the release of "Perfect Days," which will officially premiere in a special release format starting November 15. On the evening of November 10, multiple cities, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, simultaneously held premiere events. Director Wim Wenders connected remotely after the screening to answer questions from industry professionals like director Yang Lina and film scholar Dai Jinhua, as well as from the audience present, sharing his thoughts on filming techniques, the film's themes, and character development.
Director Wim Wenders
The 79-year-old Wim Wenders emerged in the 1970s as a key figure in the "New German Cinema" movement, alongside other notable directors like Werner Herzog, Volker Schlöndorff, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. His name gradually became known among film enthusiasts around the world through works such as "Paris, Texas," "Wings of Desire," "The Sky Above Berlin," "The Buena Vista Social Club," and "Pina." He has amassed a significant following in China as well, where his films are often in high demand at domestic festivals.
"Perfect Days" is Wenders' most recent directorial work, which was nominated for the main competition section at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where lead actor Koji Yakusho won the Best Actor award. The film follows toilet cleaner Hirayama in Tokyo and presents his serene yet uniquely interesting daily life through a gentle narrative rhythm. Initially invited to shoot a public service short on Tokyo's public toilets, Wenders found himself creating an entire feature film after sketching out Hirayama’s character and later collaborating with famed actor Koji Yakusho, who also served as a producer for the film.
Since the end of last year, "Perfect Days" has been gradually released in various locations worldwide, and its debut in mainland China is particularly noteworthy: it is not only Wenders' first officially released film in mainland China but also reflects the increasing diversity of films shown in local cinemas.
What makes "Perfect Days" especially valuable is that it richly embodies a kind of depth that is rare in our times, inviting everyone to interpret it from their own perspectives. Perhaps this is why the questions from the audience at the premiere were so varied and captivating. Wenders responded sincerely to these professional and intriguing inquiries, and we believe that after reading the following director's reflections, viewers will have a deeper understanding of the film.
"Perfect Days" Poster
Using Documentary Style to Shoot a Narrative Film
As the end credits of "Perfect Days" rolled, a Japanese term, “木漏れ日” (komorebi), appeared on the screen, referring to the sunlight that shines through the gaps in leaves. One audience member asked Wenders how he learned about this term as a German director.
Wenders explained, “I often visit Japan and gradually realize that the living spaces of Japanese people are very different from those of Europeans. They seem to have a unique relationship with sunlight, and the Japanese pay attention to very detailed things, such as the moment when the wind blows through the leaves and sunlight filters down. I believe that people in many other parts of the world see this scene, but many overlook it. However, the Japanese have specifically created a term for it. In my native German, it might take three lines of text to describe such a scene, but in Japanese, a single word does the job.”
When discussing the soul of "Perfect Days," Wenders emphasized that the character Hirayama is at its core. He said, “This character first formed in my mind, and then I collaborated with my Japanese screenwriting partner, Takuma Takasaki, to write the script. At the start, Hirayama was just a fictional character, akin to those in my other narrative films. However, once we found Koji Yakusho, who perfectly embodied this character, we began filming.”
“But... as we filmed, I discovered that Koji and the character Hirayama became one. I gradually couldn't tell whether he was the actor Koji Yakusho or the cleaner Hirayama. The film shifted from being a fictional narrative to resembling a documentary about a person named Hirayama. Suddenly, at some point, Hirayama became a real person. So we began filming Hirayama’s life in a documentary style, which I had never tried before. I must say, Koji Yakusho's performance was indeed a great surprise. For me, Hirayama was no longer fictional but a person who exists in reality.”
Yang Lina, who just returned from the Tokyo Film Festival with her new work "Little Me," also attended the Beijing premiere. Following Wenders' mention of the documentary style, she asked him, “How do you view the boundary between narrative films and documentaries?” Wenders elaborated, “When shooting a fictional film, as a director, you always want to control everything; you tell the actors how you want them to perform. Once you have a story in your mind, you will find ways to actualize it, including how to arrange the camera angles and how to present the story. I also require actors to rehearse until I am satisfied before shooting. However, when making a documentary, there is absolutely no need for rehearsals. If a documentary includes rehearsals, that would be fundamentally wrong.”
“In the first two days of filming 'Perfect Days,' we did rehearse first before shooting. But I felt that the filming did not capture the feel of the rehearsals, so I asked Koji—who I addressed as Hirayama during shooting—if I could film him while he rehearsed. He was surprised but agreed. So, after each rehearsal, I would call ‘Cut’ and then film the next take. Gradually, it felt like we were filming a character documentary rather than a fictional narrative film; this became our unique filming method. Only when we had new actors joining on set would we rehearse in advance since they were still unfamiliar with this approach. However, they also gradually realized that this was a work born from reality rather than fiction.”
Similarly, Dai Jinhua, who was also present at the Beijing premiere, expressed her enthusiasm for "Perfect Days," saying she had already seen it several times: “The first time I watched it, I felt it was very different from Wim Wenders’ other works because it’s so simple; but the second and third views revealed that it is very much Wenders, like an extension of his past films, which seem to all explore emotions tied to destroyed or abandoned lives. I want to ask, for you as a director, does 'Perfect Days' represent more of a Japanese story or a tale about an angel coming to our imperfect world?”
To Wenders, both definitions mentioned by Dai Jinhua are applicable to the film. “Firstly, it truly is a very Japanese story. The making of this film is based on my love for Japanese culture, especially my admiration for the late Japanese film master Yasujirō Ozu. However, as a German, I don’t feel I am qualified to make what could be called a Japanese film. When I was younger, for instance, while making 'Paris, Texas,' I never considered shooting such a film. But now that I am older, I feel somewhat wiser and have a greater inner peace, understanding more of the value of living in the moment. Young people often yearn for the future, while older people are more inclined to enjoy the present. That’s why I created the character Hirayama.”
“Hirayama indeed resembles the angels in my past work 'Wings of Desire'; they both are aware of what's happening around them and possess wisdom. One can imagine that Hirayama lived a completely different life when he was young. He received a privileged education and was likely very wealthy. Then he consciously chose a simple lifestyle, very much like the one I have chosen now. My understanding of the character Hirayama goes far beyond what I captured in the film.”
"Perfect Days" Premiere Scene
Hirayama Has Everything He Needs
During the Q&A session, facing Chinese youth’s various reflections on the character Hirayama, Wenders combined his life and creative experiences to provide insightful answers. This not only gave us a different understanding of "Perfect Days" but also deepened our insight into Director Wenders himself. For instance, one audience member inquired about Hirayama listening to tapes and using a film camera, accustomed to a very classical way of life, asking if the director intended to express a resistance to the invasion of technology into modern life. Wenders responded with a negative answer.
“It’s important to note that we used very advanced cameras during filming, which allowed us to sensitively capture subtle changes in light and shadow. Without such technology, we could not have completed the shoot in just 17 days. I am very thankful for the advent of digital cameras. The last time I shot a film on film was 20 years ago. In my daily life, I no longer use film cameras; I now use digital ones. For someone who travels frequently, film is quite inconvenient. You have to go through security checks multiple times, and by the time you get home, you find the film has been damaged by the X-ray machines. I also enjoy using my smartphone, which now has 50,000 photos—just from the past two years.”
“Yes, I enjoy digital devices; however, on the other hand, I find they greatly distract us, diverting our attention from the life around us. You always seem to worry that if you don’t check your phone, you might miss something. So, what I resist is the dependency on digital media. When I can freely decide whether to engage with digital media, I find I like it more.”
“I also have to admit that I no longer collect tapes. But I believe that when Hirayama decided to abandon his past life as a wealthy person, he was glad to embrace the music he truly loved during his teenage years, particularly the works from the 1970s. He discovers that all the music he needs from his old tape collection has always been there. Even when he has access to streaming or higher-resolution media, he realizes he doesn’t enjoy the music from those mediums. So, he digs out the dusty old tapes from the attic, plays them again, and takes his favorite books and old camera with him. He realizes that these things are all he truly needs.”
“Sometimes it is very important to recognize what you really need. In our digital age, we are often told we need so much, and if not, we might feel a sense of loss. Hirayama, through his own choices, finds a more joyful way of living, and he doesn’t feel any loss because he resists the temptations of the digital age.”
"Perfect Days" Still
The Songs Reflect Hirayama's Life
Music plays a vital role in "Perfect Days." Every morning, as Hirayama drives to clean the public toilets, he selects a tape that matches his mood for the day, featuring songs like "Pale Blue Eyes" by The Velvet Underground, "Redondo Beach" by Patti Smith, "Van Morrison" by Van Morrison, and Lou Reed’s "Perfect Day,” among others.
“Some joked that the songs in the film are like a personal playlist of yours.” An audience member asked Wenders, “How did you choose the songs that Hirayama listens to in the movie?” “In fact, we outlined Hirayama's entire life. He was once a vibrant young man who loved the music that became popular in the 1970s and early 1980s; later, he became a businessman and lost the time to pursue what he truly loved. One day, Hirayama suddenly realized that when he was in his twenties, deeply attached to that music, he felt more alive, prompting him to seek to reconnect with his past self,” Wenders explained.
“At first, I felt it important to list the specific songs I wanted in the script, but I didn’t want to impose my personal taste on a Japanese character, so I consulted my Japanese screenwriting partner Takuma Takasaki on what to do. He told me that the music young people in Japan really liked at the time was the same as in Europe, including Van Morrison, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, and Patti Smith. Thus, we incorporated those songs into the script, which were indeed my personal favorites from my youth.”
“However, we didn’t want Hirayama to appear to be just pretending to listen, so we actually played the songs during filming. At the time, we hadn’t obtained the
