anjumhaz

It was some award news that brought the Perfect Days movie to my attention. Set in Japan, on the daily life of a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, the simplicity of the setting could not attract me more! Japanese anime are very popular among many of my peers, but I wanted to see something from real life to know Japan first. So I explored the city, the parks, the crisscrossing flyovers that Hirayama drives on his way to work and Hirayama-the embodiment of a calm and quiet life in this busy time.

Hirayama works at The Tokyo Toilet. He has this amazing repertoire of cleaning tools and he gives his heart to his work. He wakes up before dawn, waters his plants, drives to work, works, takes his break inside a park and grabs his lunch. After work, he visits a bathhouse to take a bath. He cycles to his regular cafe, orders his regular choice. While he is living his day, he is living it fully. He is not listening to music on earphones, scrolling on his phone and grabbing his lunch. Hirayama doesn't have an earphone. He listens to old cassettes from the 80's or so. Hy buys them from the old cassette shop. He prints his pictures shot in an out-of-market camera that he keeps in his breast pocket. Hirayama loves reading, his bookshelves say that. In his free time, he cycles to the bookstore, picks up a book from the shelf, starts reading it, and walks to the cash counter, his eyes reading the lines from the book. And the woman in the cash counter fixes her gaze from the book that she was reading to the book Hirayama brought and remarks the specialty of the book he chose. This was probably the most favorite moment in the film for me!

Hirayama is someone who notices the color of the sky, the daylight, the shadow of trees, the reflection of a busy street on a piece of object, who carefully brings a tiny plant home. His home's lighting system is from the 80's, and it looks perfectly in place. Not much dialogue going on, and that's the beauty, isn't it? Just slow down for two hours, see a day of Hirayama, cherish the present and feel the urge for a quieter life, a simple life, doesn't need to be like everyone else.

After a good, tiring day, the way Hirayama falls asleep reading-makes me crave for a life like him!

A peek of Japan, and a flashback of a quieter take of life, so refreshing to see.

Watched two Farooki movies back to back in a while. This one is on a contemporary topic- monogamy. Is monogamy not working today? That was the theme of the movie. And it had humor, kinda comedy style. But also some serious notes.

Shafkat is the boss of an advertising company and Lamiya is an intern who is also a singer and very modern. The contrast between them instills a kind of attraction but Shafkat also can't ignore the fact that he has a family. So, the love affair gets as peculiar as it can be. And funny.

I liked how Farooki showcased Dhaka's newly installed metro through the lens of a camera. He uses whatever tools he can get, like the metro, the local cuisines that can enhance the charm of a film, but he also keeps it real-doesn't add too many filters for the sake of beautifying.

As my husband says, Bangla movies tend to have less substance. I nodded with him. Even though Farooki didn't lack substance in Bachelor and Television, I felt his last two movies "Something like an autobiography" and "Last Defenders of Monogamy" could have some more substance. In this movie, you can count there were basically three characters. Oh and the child part of a 7/8 years old daughter was very bad. I don't think a small girl can talk so maturely and who dubbed her voice? Sounds like someone much older.

I would say it's a very mellow watch. You can chill out for 90 minutes and watch this. Spending 90 minutes on the same topic is also not something many people like. So, a bit more substance wouldn't hurt.

Watched a Farooki movie after a long time. It's about a celebrity couple's journey to a delayed parenthood. In Bangladeshi society, couples are expected to multiply as soon as they are married. So after a decade of marriage, the celeb couple faces frowning from almost everyone for not producing a child yet.

The journey to a delayed parenthood starts. It is difficult to be a parent, and at later age and if so much is expected from a pair of people. Farhan and Tithy go through a lot of emotions and challenges to embrace their journey.

The movie was excellent in portraying real life Dhaka. The bustling was always in the background, this is the trademark of Farooki-you will notice the absence of filters in his shots, in the tension of the movie. The to-bo-mother is shown unfiltered, her leftover kajol displayed without making it "sexy" (as female leads are always portrayed in most movies, must look charming no matter what the situation is). I loved that.

I loved that the movie brought out the social tension, the religious tension around being a couple and not parents. It's almost looked upon as a sin.

Watch this 90 minute movie any time to feel a little emotional, a little inspired, and admire a lot-our Farooki and Tisha.