Films that try too hard to convey a message can be disappointing, and that’s exactly what happened with writer-director Wim Wenders’ newest film. This character study centers on a middle-aged public toilet cleaner in Tokyo, portrayed by Koji Yakusho, and follows him through his nearly identical daily routine of work, reading, and taking photos of trees. While there are small variations from one day to the next, much of his schedule is consistently the same—a comfortable but unremarkable pattern that’s repeated on screen repeatedly (which doesn't do a lot for keeping viewers interested). He seems to deliberately maintain a simple life in order to avoid problems, though it appears this is more about dealing with loneliness than establishing a sense of security and predictability. There also seems to be a painful history he’s attempting to leave behind, even as he holds onto aspects connected to that time (listening to cassette tapes from the 70s and 80s, using film photography, a flip phone, and limited knowledge of the internet). This lifestyle is presented as somehow providing profound wisdom, but the insights it offers are really quite basic ("the next time is the next time" and "now is now"—truly insightful statements, to be sure). As a result, the experience feels rather slow-moving, with storylines that aren’t fully explored or resolved. The film does have some beautiful cinematography and an appealing soundtrack, and it becomes more interesting as you watch further on (when a story finally starts to emerge from what was initially a very flat narrative). However, much of the first half is filled with unnecessary scenes that could easily have been cut. In fact, removing this extra material might have made it a shorter film without sacrificing anything—a change that would have improved the overall experience. I’ve always enjoyed Wenders' films, but this one doesn’t live up to his previous work. It's also strange how much attention this movie has received, including being chosen as Japan's submission for the 2023 Academy Awards international film category, where it earned an Oscar nomination (surprisingly beating out the better Japanese film "Monster"), and Yakusho receiving a best actor award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Regardless of how hard a filmmaker tries to communicate their point, sometimes it just doesn’t land, which is unfortunately the case here—and that falls far short of perfection.

Source on TMDB