"Perfect Days" - Japanese Movie Review

Original Name: Perfect Days
Year: 2023
Rate: 4.5/5.0

The same daily routine every day

Hirayama, the main character of this movie, does similar things everyday. He cleans restrooms, eats at the same restaurant, and takes pictures at the same place with a film camera.
I'm going to school now, so I do the same things everyday. But I'm very sick and tired of it. I wonder whether he is also sick and tired of his life. He doesn't look like that though.
Do you think you could live like that?

Analog these days

Recently, people started to look for analog things in their lives. LP, CD, film cameras are such things. Especially, film cameras got popular since 2020. COVID-19 is one of the reasons.
Hirayama's life is full of analog things. Cassette tapes, books, and films are those kinds of things. He isn't a person who follows trends. He just keeps using them for his entire life.
I'm really big fan of digital things because I don't have an enough place to store them. I can even see pictures, listen to music, and read books wherever I am. They are convenient. But I know analog has its own charming point.

Why is he crying and smiling at the last scene?

I think he wants a different life, but he has no choice but to live like that. But the way he lives isn't boring, but beautiful, especially for people nowadays. It causes some weird feelings for us and him.
We sometimes think of that kind of life, but we know it's very difficult to us due to what we have and have to do. So I think it even shows the feeling of us at the end of the movie.

What will it look like if I get that old?

To be honest, I prefer that kind of life, but I don't want to work when I get that old. I just want to read books, write some, and travel around the world. But our lives is kept going thanks to people like Hirayama who works for people's convenience. I think this movie reminds of how thankful they are, even though their lives look boring for someone.