Dream Sequences

responding to Donata Wenders' edits in Perfect Days

In this issue I wanted to reflect on a favorite detail in Perfect Days: the short dream sequences that are shown throughout the film while the main character, Hirayama, is sleeping at the end of each day.

you can see a snippet of one here starting at 28 seconds:

Hirayama’s day-to-day life is simple and seems to be just enough for him. With his almost mute character, his wandering eyes and subtle smiles throughout the day do all of the talking as they constantly tune into the fleeting details around him: shadows and sunlight dancing on a wall at any given moment, the afternoon sun shining through the canopy (komorebi) over the park bench he sits on during his lunch, and the ever-changing cityscape perspectives during his drives.

one of the komorebi photographs Hirayama makes on his daily lunch in the park. source: a film still from Perfect Days, 2023.

The sequences, which were filmed and edited by Donata Wenders, add a layer of meditative euphoria that the film is already overflowing with. After realizing he takes a very similar photograph each day on this bench—with the main difference being the ever-changing light—I started to realize that perhaps it was this revisited scene that inspires the black and white, montage-like dreams he has when he is sleeping.

The sun-filled canopy serving as the main ingredient..

source: Tokyo Art Beat

These sequences allow the viewer to gain further insight into what his brain lingers on, whether those thoughts are conscious or unconscious. His photographic/observant mind holds onto and blends these small details he can’t help but cherish on any given day.

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The lessons I’ve learned by watching this film and those sequences are to pay more attention the most subtle details in any given moment of the day. You never know what will stick in your mind and inspire you. And on an editing level: experiment more often and break down the walls I build around my style(s).

my first “dream sequence”

I’ve also been going down the rabbit hole of questioning how important dreams can be for something visual like photography and a lot of other art forms. I’ve found that even when I’m awake throughout the day, I am often daydreaming of idealistic landscapes, shapes, and sunlight.. which makes way for the types of photographs I want to make and even simply think of making.

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I leave you, the reader, with three questions:

• Do you ever dream of photographs you yearn to make and/or do you dream of photographs you’ve already made?

• Do you primarily dream in color and/or black and white?

• Do dreams inspire your creativity?

I’d love to hear your responses below!! :-)

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• KOMOREBI DREAMS gallery recap by Kazuo Yoshida via note

• KOMOREBI DREAMS at PHOTOKUNST

side note: I highly suggest watching the film in its entirety to experience the sequences in full effect.