On Perfect Days, and Who Gets to Have Them

For years, Paris, Texas (1984) has been one of my favourite films. It’s a long, slow piece, framed around a man who returns to the world from a haggard, years-long walkabout, seeks out his son, and takes him on a road trip.

All through the film, there are deep questions about this protagonist: why he went away, what happened to him, and why he came back.…