The other day I went to see the new Wim Wenders movie, “Perfect Days” at the Belcourt, here in Nashville. Can’t recommend it enough – beautiful film about dignity, grace, presence, and the simple fact that sometimes, navigating each day is its own challenge and reward. The film unfolds quietly and there isn’t much dialogue, which I really like because there is focus on the actors and the gentle movement. When there is dialogue, it is subtitled.
I mention this because recently I met a gal who I dug off the bat, in that way one sometimes does, for no apparent reason. We had a lot in common, but not too much. Early on we were discussing favorite films, with much cross-over in our tastes, particularly with classics. Then I mentioned some of my favorite directors – Kurosawa, Ozu, and most recently, Bresson. The walls went up, as she made it clear she didn’t watch movies with subtitles. Period. This made me a little sad, for what I thought she was missing, but at the end of the day, to each his or her own.
A couple days later, riffing off another conversation, she texted “Do you think in subtitles?” I answered, “Only when my cat Roger communicates with me,” which is sort of true. Regardless, over a compressed period of time, it seemed as if the portable walls happened whenever there was a natural synergy, adding distance, no doubt. Naturally, then, things ran their course and while there may have been at least one perfect day, in reality, we both could’ve benefited from subtitles.
I digress into this different story, but like the early silent films, “Perfect Days” drifts along on the actors’ faces, carrying all the range of human emotions in their small gestures, as they strive to honor the importance of being in the moment, together and alone. One of the best new films I’ve seen in a long time and up there with Wenders’ best work. Unless you disagree…which is perfectly fine.
Doug Hoekstra 