Time is weird right now. During the 'dead week' between Christmas and New Year's, minutes, hours, and days may feel as though they're either speeding up or slowing down, leaving you feeling refreshed and anchored or, alternately, anxious and adrift. If you're looking for a mental reset, I recommend watching Perfect Days. The film, which premiered last year and was released across the U.S. in February, follows the rhythmic routines of a man who cleans public toilets in Tokyo. Although that premise might sound limiting, trust me when I say that Perfect Days is one of the most enthralling movies I've seen this year'one that made me pause and reflect on how I spend the in-between moments of my life. Wim Wenders, the German filmmaker behind the similarly meditative Paris, Texas, co-wrote and directed Perfect Days. Its star, Koji Yakusho, won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal of Hirayama, the meek and semi-mysterious custodian at the story's center. Hirayama leads...
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