Departures

2009年 • 130 分鐘

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This Academy Award-winning drama follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved, suddenly leaving him without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled "Departures" thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to discover that the job is actually for a "Nokanshi" or "encoffineer," a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the art of Nokanshi, acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. The film follows his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living.

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I thought this was a great movie. It was slower-paced, but ended up being quite poignant. The main character starts a new job where he prepares the dead in respectful ceremonies for their families, but once his friends & wife find out, they shun him for doing something they consider unclean. Their opinion eventually changes, and it's a sweet ending.

Absolutely one of the best movies I've ever watched. Easily in my top 5. The premise sounds depressing. It's not. It's an entertaining and touching film, and even a little funny at times. I cried, not because I was heartbroken, but because it was so beautiful. The empathy it makes you feel, the pure respect for life and death - it's just addictive. I've watched it twice and it awakened my deepest empathy over and over again, bawling my eyes out both times. I'll be using it to study Japanese, as I know I'll have no problem watching it again and again. It's just such an extraordinarily human film. I love it. If you are feeling sick from the shallowness of life, watch this to remind you what it's all about.

I absolutely loved it! One of the best films I've ever seen!