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amazing mixed documentary 20 years in the making about China, beautifully interwoven with fiction and scenes from the directors past work, this is my first Jia Zhang-ke film so it definitely didn't hit as hard as it could've but man i'm ready to dive into his filmmaking after watching this. super cool experience. couldn't reccomend enough! first third featured some of the best clubbing scenes in any movie i've seen. i fell in love. was able to catch at the frida cinema
Jun 28, 2025
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I was fortunate to be able to catch a screening of this last night! Gorgeous impressionistic experimental romance film comprised of unused footage taken over the course of 22 years—some raw documentary-style footage, some outtakes and scenes from Jia’s other works featuring the same actors (so you see them naturally age over time which is pretty cool). I’ve seen it compared to a collage and I think this is apt; the plot is tenuous at best but really impressive considering that it’s just made up of random scraps. I think it came together well and it was a beautiful experience just letting the footage wash over me like the tides and seeing the passage of time
Jun 15, 2025
Masterpiece of 90’s cinema. Airs of Wong Kar-wai and Scorsese, but with youthful abandon turned up to 11. Beautiful
Apr 2, 2025
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 São 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 über 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 Tokyo’s 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 São Paulo will be envious of the public toilets in Tokyo.
Feb 18, 2024
Top Recs from @penisflattener
perfect folk album i cried to while listening. cannock chase isn't a song its an ethereal experience
6d ago
Jun 3, 2025
Jun 3, 2025