Saw this at the 2023 filmfestival in Ghant (Belgium). Lots of interesting details, giving me a nice experience to watch it all. However, along the first hour a sort of desperation came over me, despite the variations from day to day, fearing that this would go on and on for another hour to fill up the announced 2h03 running time.
Luckily, the daily routine broke in the second hour due to a few encounters that took care of the long overdue deviation from the daily grind. I know what the title says, and the main protagonist displays a very satisfied attitude against his work, but it would have stretched our patience when his daily routine would go on as in the first hour, without giving us something to chew on. Eventually, something different happened, even more than once, due to a few unplanned encounters.
Nevertheless, overall I see no added value in this movie, other than showing us some Tokyo city parts and local infrastructure (I've never been there, so unchartered territory for me). The achievement of the lead actor may be remarkable, awarded in Cannes after the premiere, but does all this warrant the production costs and the time we spent while viewing this??
To conclude: I know that few workers nowadays take pride in their work, as we see in Harayama who maintains his good humor whatever happens. (One exception: when his co-worker suddenly left him, he was less happy and pressured his employer to send a replacement.) The movie at hand demonstrates that a job can be inherently rewarding, even when routine and boredom springs to mind when seeing it. Neither is it a prestigious job, rather the opposite, not something to impress your future parents-in-law. What remains of this movie are the splendid visuals of Tokyo and its infrastructure.
Luckily, the daily routine broke in the second hour due to a few encounters that took care of the long overdue deviation from the daily grind. I know what the title says, and the main protagonist displays a very satisfied attitude against his work, but it would have stretched our patience when his daily routine would go on as in the first hour, without giving us something to chew on. Eventually, something different happened, even more than once, due to a few unplanned encounters.
Nevertheless, overall I see no added value in this movie, other than showing us some Tokyo city parts and local infrastructure (I've never been there, so unchartered territory for me). The achievement of the lead actor may be remarkable, awarded in Cannes after the premiere, but does all this warrant the production costs and the time we spent while viewing this??
To conclude: I know that few workers nowadays take pride in their work, as we see in Harayama who maintains his good humor whatever happens. (One exception: when his co-worker suddenly left him, he was less happy and pressured his employer to send a replacement.) The movie at hand demonstrates that a job can be inherently rewarding, even when routine and boredom springs to mind when seeing it. Neither is it a prestigious job, rather the opposite, not something to impress your future parents-in-law. What remains of this movie are the splendid visuals of Tokyo and its infrastructure.