Departure

Genre: Drama

Language: Japanese

Director: Yojiro Takita

Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue

Runtime: 130 min

Plot:

Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a cellist in an orchestra in Tokyo, loses his job because of dissolution of the orchestra. After quitting as a professional cellist, he decides to move back to Sakata, Yamagata, his old hometown along with his wife to find a new job. One day, he finds a classified ad entitled "Assisting departures" for an "NK Agency". He goes to the job interview thinking it is for a job at a travel agency. But at the interview, he discovers that NK is an abbreviation for "encoffinment" (納棺 ,nōkan), and he is instead to assist the "departed". Since the interviewer, the President of NK Agency, is immediately keen to have him take the job, the salary is good, and with no other job prospects, Daigo decides to accept his offer. However, when he comes home to his wife he finds himself unable to admit of the type of work he will be doing, so he dissembles saying that he is to be employed in the 'ceremonial occasions industry.'

Watched the movie on 28 Feb late night @ GV Grand with Sylvia.

I came to know about this movie a few days before the Oscars as the movie received many awards in the Japanese Oscars. And then came the Academy's Best Foreign Film Award. How interesting to have the special occupation as the theme of the movie!

I always have a misconception of the casket business which is a sacred yet mystery industry. The stereotype idea was that people worked there sometimes charged very highly. However after watching the movie, I realised that even though they are very expensive, they are the dead's last purchase before they leave the world. And the preparation for the dead to leave gracefully lies in the hands of these unknown service people.

No one around me does this. But there is a part in the movie whereby the male lead - Daigo asked his female colleague if he was good enough to do the job even he had not seen a dead before. His colleague assured him that anyone is capable of any job as long as he put in the effort. I guess this in fact applies to all. There is nothing that cannot be achieved. I like Daigo's prestige too, stern looking man with a tint of funniness.

Certain scenes rekindled my memories of my Granny who passed away a year ago. I wished I was able to see her before she was being placed in her coffin but I wasn't allowed to. I felt sad for not able to say my farewell to her like what the movie had shown. I wondered will my loved ones bid their farewell to me when I leave.

I like how the movie is presented. A bit of humour in the beginning when Daigo gets on the job. Not too gloomy yet the respect of the occupation is done nicely. After watching 4 movies that talk about death, this movie puts a nice finish to my weekend.

ah-deng says: 4/5 Unique theme, good story.