One of my favorite films from last year was Wim Wenders' Perfect Days, mostly because it stirred a quiet anxiety in me — the kind that surfaces when I realize how swiftly life seems to pass by without my noticing. And when that realization hits, it triggers a downward spiral of regret, FOMO, and frustration, emotions that build up in hidden crevices until they overflow.
But not for Hirayama (whose name I had to look up because I'd forgotten). He cleans toilets, listens to cassettes, tends to tiny saplings, eats simple sandwiches, and is genuinely happy. He needs nothing beyond himself to feel content, embracing life exactly as it is.
The film feels inspiring precisely because it contrasts so starkly with the lives most of us lead—or, more accurately, the lives we let carry us along. It's a story about existence stripped of destructive ambition, restless striving, and the scarcity of compassion we so often accept. It's a meditation on letting go of what we cannot control and a gentle lesson in living fully within the present moment.
I like to think this movie found me, not the other way around. And it arrived at just the right time — a reminder I hope it might someday be for you, too.
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