Synopsis

Nearly four decades after the Yasujiro Ozu tribute documentary Tokyo-Ga, German auteur Wim Wenders returns to Japan and makes a glorious comeback to form this transcendent drama about the beauty of simplicity. In a sublime performance that earned him the Best Actor prize in Cannes, Koji Yakusho plays Hirayama, a public toilet cleaner who leads a quiet life that involves only work and enjoying his eclectic collection of music and books. Over a series of encounters, we slowly learn of Hirayama’s previous life and why he chose his current lifestyle.