The cinephile audience can hardly ignore Wim Wenders this autumn: the grand master of German auteur films presented two new directorial works in Cannes in May, the visually stunning artist portrait “Anselm” (about Anselm Kiefer, the grand master of German painting) and a feature film called ” “Perfect Days”. While “Anselm” opened in October (and is still showing in some cinemas in and around Munich), the second new Wenders film will only be released in German cinemas shortly before Christmas.
If you don’t want to wait that long, you can see it in advance: ABC Cinema is presenting “Perfect Days” as a preview on November 5th. Wim Wenders shot this film in Tokyo and was celebrated for it in Cannes; the Japanese-German co-production is scheduled to enter the Oscar race for best foreign language film for Japan in 2024.
The story centers on an elderly man (Koji Yakusho) who cleans public toilets in Tokyo. He does this very conscientiously, on the way he hears Lou Reed: “Such a perfect day, I’m glad I spent it with you…”. After work, he relaxes in an onsen and watches television broadcasts of baseball games in a bar. He seems content, a calm man in a quiet film.
Perfect Days, JAP/D 2023, Director: Wim Wenders, Sun., November 5th, 7:30 p.m., ABC Cinema, Herzogstr. 1a, federal start on December 21st