Departures

Watched Departures at with Sf, Sam and Calvin at JP just now. The review and synopsis are as follows.

Daigo Kobayashi's life takes a turn when the orchestra he played in is disbanded. Left with no job, Daigo, a cellist decides to move back to his hometown. At his hometown, he gets a job working as an funeral professional, where he sees himself as the gatekeeper between the living and the dead. Through his job, he discovers the meaning of life and what it is all about.

Departures is a dignified and respectful film that showcases the traditional Japanese ritual of sending the deceased off. The show starts off as a comedy of sorts, entertaining audiences with a hilarious tv recording and Daigo's first task which involved much puking. The show gradually moves from comedy to sombre mood with the emotional sending off everytime when someone passes. Everyone will be affected by the immense grief that the relatives go through including the undertakers. No one will be spared from the onslaught of sorrow that audiences will be able to relate to.

Asian conservative values that despise the people who earn money from the dead are discussed as well, bringing forth conflicts within Daigo's family. The cast does quite a good job with the decent character development of the main characters. Departures is an intimate study of death, life, redemption and forgiveness and it is richly layered with emotions.

****