As the folksy saying goes, “Now we’re cooking with gas!” The bigger titles by more acclaimed directors of the festival are starting to roll out. And, for at least one day, they did not disappoint. Let’s get to them!

The Main Feature: The Bikeriders

Back in 2011, I saw writer/director Jeff Nichols’s Take Shelter, and I was hooked. That movie—about a man either succumbing to mental illness or foretelling the apocalypse—was emotionally complex, simple yet twisty, and utterly satisfying. I’ve been a fan since and have waited since host 2014 historical drama Loving for a new film from him. And it did not disappoint.

He said prior to the movie that this was his attempt at a “cool” movie. And that it was. His peak into the life of a 1960s-70s motorcycle gang was a blast of attitude, humor, and soul-searching. A great cast contributed a lot. Austin Butler (Elvis) is the epitome of the aforementioned cool as Benny, our focal gang member. Tom Hardy (Venom) is working as hard as ever as the gang’s leader. But Jodie Comer (TV’s Killing Eve) is the real star as Benny’s wife Cathy, our narrator and prism through which we experience the rest. It looks great and sounds even better thanks to a stellar soundtrack of the era. I’ll do a full review when it comes out in December, but definitely keep it on your radar.

The Other Feature: Perfect Days

While this was the “other” movie I was seeing on the day, it is in no way the lesser film. To be honest, I loved it even more. German director Wim Wenders’s gentle humanism winds up transplanting itself perfectly into Japanese culture in this meditation on a life well lived. It definitely feels at home next to the work of current Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-era (whose new film I’m not getting to see here 😢). It’s feels so Japanese that Japan has selected it as its entry into next year’s Oscar for Best International Film.

The film focuses on Hirayama, a middle-aged janitor who works cleaning Tokyo’s countless public toilets. His days are as methodical and meticulous as his cleaning regime. He does the exact same thing everyday and seems to take abundant pleasure in all of it: the breath of fresh air when he first steps outside, the sun peering through the leaves of the trees in the park where he lunches, the books he buys for $1.00 every week on his day off, which has its own meticulous schedule. At times, other people interrupt his flow. While Hirayama seems to bristle at these inconveniences, we also see him find a little pleasure in being able to touch another life.

Japanese actor Kōji Yakusho won a well-deserved Best Actor Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for his performance. His Hirayama carries himself with a quiet dignity that some would think inconsistent with his chosen profession. And it is very much chosen, as we learn in one of the few moments that touch on his past). It is a beautiful performance for a beautiful film.

Full disclosure: if you need abundant amounts of plot, this may not be in your wheelhouse. But you should still see it. In Perfect Days, we truly get a glimpse of the transcendent in the midst of the mundane. It is simply one of the best films of the year.

The Bikeriders releases in theaters this December. Perfect Days does not yet have a US release date.