MovieChat Forums > Perfect Days (2023) Discussion > I don't know...

I don't know...

posted 9 months ago by johnnybiscotti (445)
2 replies | jump to latest

I saw so much praise for this movie that maybe it set my expectations very high. I don't dislike this movie, I just don't feel like I was blown away like many of the user reviews suggested.

It is an intimate look at the life of an ordinary man with a simple job. You see the surface, and also some of the inner layers of what makes a person.

However, it does not dig very deep into what really would tick this guy off. You get to see what things he finds touching. He takes his time to enjoy nature. He finds beauty in simple things, he takes photos to capture moments. Obviously he loves music. But beyond slightly being annoyed by his younger coworker, we don't see what lives deep within this man. I felt like there was more to discover about him and we did not. maybe that's the point.

[–] angelinamora (33) 6 months ago

The movie was very subtle, but I found some hidden layers.
1. He visits a temple/shrine. Maybe to pay respects to someone who died?
2. His sister asks him why he doesn't visit their father who is in a nursing home and "not the same person as before". His categoric "no" and his reaction to this subject hints at s very difficult, maybe abusive relationship with his father. He hugs his sister and then cries. Maybe he wants to be close to her, but can't or won't return home.
3. All his little rituals, repetitive and dependable, seam to me like coping mechanisms. He wants to be in charge of every aspect of his life, maybe because he wasn't in control for a long time.

To me he seams like a very sensitive, traumatized person, who tries to heal and be left alone by everyone.

[–] greenvelvet (166) 6 months ago

I agree about the abusive parent part. He is shown to be smart from the books he reads and is a good worker yet he is doing a cleaning job. Something held him back from formal education or finding a better position.