Wim Wenders’ beguiling Tokyo-set drama is a poignant, warm-hearted portrait of a Tokyo toilet cleaner, played by Cannes Best Actor prize-winner Koji Yakusho.
Hirayama (a captivating performance by Yakusho) lives a life of quiet routine. He goes to work, eats in the same cafe every day and buys second-hand books at the weekend. Wenders’ empathetic portrait gradually draws us into this world, one in which the tiniest details add to the richness of a simple and decent life. With a soundtrack featuring Lou Reed and Patti Smith, this is a gorgeous hymn to humanity and to finding meaning in the everyday.
