Departures [Blu-ray] [2008]

One of the most touching movies I have ever seen. Commentary on living life well and dying well--told with sensitivity and humor

First on purchasing...The price was right for this movie since it is quite difficult (if not impossible) to find in-stores. Although at one point the movie trading company told me they could order it, I prefer using online tools so that the items are shipped directly to my home. This product came when promised and was packaged properly, with no defects.Now on to the important stuff...This is one of my all-time favorite films. My husband and I rented it on a whim when it was first released and were always glad we did. I was recently looking for reviews on other movies (it is so hard to find something with a real story and little to no sex, violence, ghosts, demons, vampires, etc. these days) when I was reminded of this one. Luckliy Amazon had it!Departures is very touching and well acted. The main character, Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) is very expressive and entertaining to watch. You can really see his emotions in his face and body language. He really begs for your empathy for his plight and fosters a deep adoration for him in the midst of his triumphs and failures.Although for me this movie is a real tear-jerker, it is not the kind that leaves you exhausted at the end. It is so full of hope, love and forgiveness, I feel very peaceful every time I watch it, with an appreciation of the relationships I have (with all their ups and downs).I believe there is a little something for everyone in this movie as it focuses on all types of relationships... husband/wife, mother/child, father/child... and the loss, turmoil, redemption and forgiveness that each relationship can have.Parental guidance notes:This is really a movie about adult relationships... I'm not sure that many (younger than their 20s) would appreciate it as much, as it deals so heavily with complex and sometimes painful relationships. However my teenage daughter did watch and enjoy it.There are scenes that include a public bath house and in a few of these scenes you can see various people (including the main character) nude, from the side. Nothing explicit is shown and although I do not approve of nudity in films, I was not offended by any of the scenes in this movie. In fact in one with the main character, he is washing himself to remove more than just physical dirt and I believe was a good way to show what he was going through at that time.There is also a touching scene between the husband and wife where she thinks that he is trying to be romantic with her in the kitchen, which she finds inappropriate and a little frightening (because of his intensity). However the scene is really not about sex, it is more about the tenderness and affectionate needs he has for his wife (and needs from her) at the time. That being said, it is not something I would find appropriate for most children/teens to watch as they could not possibly understand what is really going on.I highly recommend using IMDB to research specific parental guidance topics before watching any movie. There is a detailed one for this movie, which I found very helpful the first time I watched it.

I really enjoyed the DEPARTURES DVD! It's really a moving story about accepting change and letting go of the past. If you had to encapsulate the Buddhist teachings into a single phrase it would probably be something like "embracing impermanence," and that's what this movie shows.In it, the main character Daigo Kobayshi (played beautifully by Masahiro Motoki) is a cello player who loses his job when the orchestra has to shut down because of low ticket sales. He has to move from Tokyo back to his small hometown, where his mother left him a house, and he finds work as a "Nokanshi," which is a person who prepares the dead person for the journey onwards. They're kind of like morticians only they do the work in front of the deceased person's family. He keeps his job secret from his wife because it's a shameful occupation, since they basically make money off the dead, and he's haunted by his hatred for his father who abandoned him a long time ago. His wife finds out about the job and wants him to quit and find something else. Towards the end, Daigo finally understands that his position is not shameful, along with others who ostracized him when they found out about his job, including his wife, and they realize that he performs a function that not only helps the grieving families, but also gives dignity to the dead. He's also able to make peace with his father -- when he's faced with the father's death -- and Daigo finally embraces change, which then allows him to fully experience life.The movie is beautifully shot and the soundtrack is gorgeous with the Cello its main instrument. It's in Japanese but there are English subtitles.***** SPECIAL FEATURE ******** Interview with director Yojiro Takita *** - 11:45-minutes - Subtitles with English voice-overHere the director talks about the Japanese custom of preparing the dead and how this story idea came from the leading man (Masahiro Motoki) a while back, but it took this long to get the story off the ground. He also talks about the challenges they encountered because of the subject matter, since he didn't want the film to be too melancholic.The film won the Academy Award for "Best Foreign Language Film" and it would have been nice if they included the Oscar clip of the director and crew winning the award, but it isn't here. However, Takita describes that moment in the interview.Again, although the film does deal with death, it has a sad but light feel to it. I guess hopeful would be the word, since it shows grief, but it never comes off as gloomy. There are some very touching scenes, but they don't come off as schmaltzy or contrived. I highly recommend this movie.

A very good film. I'd give it five stars if I thought that I, or others, were likely to want to watch it multiple times, which seems unlikely to me, although it really is a very good film.It is about a (briefly) professional cello player who loses his job and moves to his (now deceased) mother's old house in a more rural, small town, part of Japan. He answers an ambiguously worded advert for a vacancy as someone who prepares corpses for putting into their coffin, something that I haven't come across in Western Europe, but which is something I can see will be appreciated in some other societies. Calling him an embalmer isn't quite correct, but is along the right lines, so to speak. The duly prepared corpses are cremated.The job grows on him, especially when he sees how much the bereaved appreciated the work. If at first his wife is appalled, she sees her husband do the business on the woman who had the local bath-house, and realises that for some people the job that he does is very important. In that culture what is done is a mark of love and respect.The end of the film has the former professional cellist do up his long-estranged but now recently deceased Dad, and the bitterness that he felt towards him is turned into love.In effect, it is story of love and redemption, and it is done very, very, well indeed. Definitely worth buying and watching, although, as I have written above, you are unlikely to want to watch it multiple times. It'll stand being watched more than once, but given a choice and a limited amount of leisure time most people will plump for other films that just somehow have more for them.

This is a wonderfully touching and at times even comic tale of a cello player who finds himself without an orchestra.Going home to his late mothers house with his wife, out in a small country town he seeks employment and finds himself - to his surprise and shock - working as an assistant (apprentice?) encoffiner. He takes the recently deceased and according to correct form prepares them for their last journey.Although originally repelled by the task, he comes to see the importance of his care to the bereaved and eventually to himself too.In Japanese with English subtitles.

This film grabbed from the start because the opening scenes are of a Japanese pre-funeral rite called encoffinment. Like a Japanese tea ceremony for the dead it is fascinating in its own right and this allowed the audience to establish the characters. There were some real funny parts that made me think of the early and good Six Feet Under. But the director did not play this for laughs, and there was a some pathos that made you cheer for Daigo the uneployed cellist turned undertaker. Although not a professional musician Masahiro Motoki learned the cello so that he could carry of his performance credibly. The soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi is very appropriate. He is known as the John Williams of Japan. The film is about endings and beginnings and it achieves both very well.

I found this film's theme is most unusual but informative and entertaining. It shows a man's determination to succeed in supporting himself and his new wife. He faces sharp criticism from family, friends and neighbours but sticks to what he believes is right. I enjoyed the film because it is so different and very well acted by all the actors. The fact that it is Japanese, for me at least, added to the film rather than detracting from it. There are English subtitles throughout. I recommend it for anyone who likes a refresingly different film.

I gave this film two hours of my life one rainy afternoon; it was worth every minute.Daigo Kobayashi loses his job with an orchestra & accidentally gets a job preparing the dead for burial. The ceremonies he performs & the dignity with which the deceased are handled is very moving to watch. It's beautifully shot & the haunting soundtrack fits wonderfully alongside. There's also a bit of humour & some lighthearted moments. A very touching & moving film. It comes highly recommended.