Written by: Kundo Koyama
Cast: Masahiro Motoki , Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kimiko Yo, Ryoko Hirosue
Mentality has proven if it's an Oscar winning movie, it'll sure be boring as hell. Depends on your kind of hell, action packed bullet flying exploding bombs movie lately is a hellish' ride for some because of it's a lame Hollywood cliché and it's time for a fresh change. That's why western is turning their attention to the east, not for the sword slashing martial art movie but a movie with everyday reality.
I won't deny this year Oscar foreign language category winner 'Departures' is a beautifully composed movie, with music score that depends heavily on cello and wide shot of countryside; TOO beautiful maybe but director Yujiro Takita made it a universally appealing. At first glance, you might get fooled by thinking it's about ritual of Japanese culture but actually its universal ritual of handling the deceased.
Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a hardworking husband is a professional cellist who loses his job when his orchestra goes bankrupt. He and his wife, Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) was forced to move back to his hometown in the Japanese countryside and into his late mother's house. Daigo is slightly haunted by a blurry childhood memories; the whereabouts of Daigo’s father, who walked out on the family when Daigo was a young boy, are unknown. Seeking employment, he responds to a help-wanted ad. The headline reads "Departures," he assumes the position has something to do with the traveling agency. Surprised and shocked but in dire need for a job, Daigo gives the job a try by assisting Mr. Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki) who is in the business of preparing dead bodies for burial. When Mika founds out, she couldn't accept that Daigo will have to work with corpses forever and later leaves him.
The movie dealt on the simple taboo, working with the dead. Call it 'sueh', scary or filthy, in reality somebody has to do it. Ask yourself: If you die, you want your body to be rotten and unattended? Daigo childhood friend felt uneasy and told him to find a better job. Later, he met Daigo again when there is a death in his family. It's not about the process; it not about the work but it's about bringing comfort to distraught families. The dramatic tension works well between Daigo and Mika, Daigo choices to stay or leave the departure business and the closure he needed for his dad. There are two scenes that I really love: the first one is when Daigo discovers there is a death season and the second scene when Sasaki said he can handle all religious death ritual. Mr. Sasaki assistant Yuriko Kamimura, (Kimiko Yo) turn out to be a very lovable character, she portrayed emotions in an unexpected way. Twice she played with Daigo feelings but she couldn’t handle hers when she told the story about her children and actor Kimiko Yo expression gave an astounding acting compared to Masahiro Motoki or Tsutomu Yamazaki and should receive an award.
The story is predictable, no spoiler here but at the climax of the movie, I've watched the same usage of object to remind the dead in another Japanese movie 'Angel's Egg'. It's nothing but it lessen the impact for me, luckily with well written story and great actors gives strength for viewers to enjoy 'Departures'. Most people cover grief with anger and loss with fear. Takita use this foundation for the movie. People tends have negatives thought to what they couldn't understand or handle. The same goes for the moviegoers out there, do not judge an Oscar winning film before watching it.
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