“Departures” is a magical film, filled with gorgeous imagery and realistic and likeable characters, which sensitively chronicles the journey of unemployed cellist Daigo as he returns with his wife to his hometown in northern Japan and embarks upon a new career as a mortician.
While the notion of a film about an undertaker may seem off-putting at first glance, director Yojiro Takita focuses on the unsentimental and reverent “encoffinment” ceremony (known in Japanese as Nokanshi) as a means of celebrating the preciousness of human life. He is helped by a well-crafted script that avoids melodrama and balances both the farcical and tender moments encountered during this rite of passage. When we first encounter Daigo at his new job he is terrified and disgusted by the corpses. Through a rigorous, Zen-like training similar to that of the Japanese tea ceremony, he finally comes to understand the depth of emotion and catharsis that the ritual arouses in the families of the deceased. Along the way, he achieves his own redemption as he confronts and reconciles personal demons from the past and regains the respect of his wife and friends.
Mr. Takata has a masterful eye for visual details that flesh out the main characters and a talent for drawing out fine performances from all his actors. Cinematography is exceptional and the cello score composed by Joe Hisaishi complements the melancholy tone.
While there are distinct Buddhist thematic undertones, “Departures” is a universal tale that, through examining the rituals associated with this final rite of passage, reminds us to honor life in the here and now.
