Departures

Director: Yojiro Takita
Writer: Kundo Koyama
Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Theatrical Release Date: May 29, 2009
Distributor: Regent
On The Web Film Website IMDB Entry

Synopsis: "Departures" follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left 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. [Synopsis courtesy of Regent Releasing]

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indiewire review:

Cello and Goodbye: Yojiro Takita's "Departures"

A feel-good dramedy about death, Yojiro Takita's "Departures" would seem to be the first Japanese import in the U.S. in quite some time with a real chance for art-house success, rather than mere fanboy buzz. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but "Departures" is a particularly silly, histrionic slab of moviemaking. Its setup would seem to... MORE »