DEPARTURES
DEPARTURES is an internationally acclaimed Japanese film that won many honours before taking the best foreign language Oscar at this years Academy Awards. This film is so gorgeous that politics aside and strictly on merit it should have been considered for best picture against what was offered in English as it could have given Slumdog Millionaire a run for its money. Tugging at the heart of the film is the sacred Japanese tradition of Nokanshi which makes an art form out of the undertaking profession. Daigo (Masahiro Motoki) is a Tokyo cellist who must sell his beloved axe when his orchestra folds and move back into his parent’s house in the sticks with Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) his sweet understanding wife. Her tenderness is tested however when Daigo finds work by answering a want ad for departures place by “coffiner” Ikuei Sasaki (Japans answer to Buster Keaton, Tsutomu Yamazaki) At first Daigo and Mika thinks it has something to do with the travel industry but when Mika eventually finds out the truth she gets totally creeped out at the though of him constantly touching dead people. Daigo however can’t let the new job go – at first because of the easy money but later because of the awe he feels for the craft he is perfecting, a craft that allows him to finally excel artistically - and little does he know it will bring closure to a painful chapter in his past. The emotionally compelling story augmented by unusual and spectacular scenery along with artistic cinematography all combined are real departures from the usual Hollywood fare.