Departures: Movie Review

Departures: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kimiko Yo, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Takashi Sasano
Director: Yojiro Takita
It won the Academy Award in 2009 for Best Foreign Language Film and has resonated with many during its screenings at The New Zealand International Film Festival this year.
Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) is by trade a cellist in a Tokyo orchestra, complete with wife and generally happy lifestyle.
Until one day without any warning, the orchestra is dissolved and Kobayashi finds himself in need of employment.
He answers an ad in the paper for helping with "assisting departures" (which it turns out is helping prepare the dead and departed for encoffinment.)
With no other prospects Kobayashi takes the position - and starts to lie to his family about what he does.
But the strain of what he does starts to take its toll on those around him - while Daigo has no qualms about finding his job, there are those who urge him to quit such a disgraceful career.
It's easy to see why Departures took him the Oscar - it has everything that an Award winning film needs - from an emotional journey for the central character which will resound with the audience to lushly shot scenery.
There's also a lot of poignancy in Daigo's job - dealing with death on a daily basis and the stigma and taboo attached to it in Japanese culture, Daigo is torn between a job he's clearly good at and a society which frowns on the public acknowledgement of the effect of death.
And yet in places, to be honest, it feels a little manipulative as the viewer is taken on Daigo's journey and the ultimate resolution of his plight - it's an interesting tale but it seems to be designed to tug at your heart strings throughout with the plot following an overly unsubtle approach - and scenes of Daigo playing his cello at suitably odd moments.

That said, when the end comes round, it's an effective pay off to the emotional investment you've put in over the last two hours.