An ode to the lives of happy people. Hirayama loves routine and order, welcoming each new day in Tokyo with a smile directed towards the sky. On weekdays, he scrubs public toilets, polishes sinks, listens to rock music, and keeps a meticulous list of his work tools. Besides a passion for komorebi (the art of photographing sunlight through the branches of a tree), collecting music tapes, and reading books, he reveals very little about himself. As his colleague put it, whenever Hirayama expresses himself emotionally, he is reserved and stoic. One day, however, when Hirayama meets his sister’s daughter, the secrets behind his monk-like lifestyle begin to unravel.

This odyssey of souls, where characters in Tokyo drift between happiness and sadness, was shot by the veteran director Wim Wenders who first conceived the idea for this film upon visiting Japan and experiencing the architecture of their public toilets and the general philosophy around their public services. Dubbed “poetry in motion” and having received two awards at the Cannes Film Festival (including an award for best lead actor – Koji Yakusho), this film is an awe-inspiring tribute to Yasujiro Ozu – whose last film Late Autumn was made 60 years ago and coincidentally also had a character named Hirayama. Wenders pays special attention to the soundtrack, contrasting his choice of songs with the modern urban environment on screen (an approach we’ve already seen in Paris, Texas (1984)). The film brings together the best-known voices and sounds of the previous century, from The Animals and Patti Smith to Lou Reed, whose song Perfect Day lends its title to the name of the film.

This film is screened as part of a cooperation with Lācis, lauva un zars.