FAM Movie Review : Departures ( 2008 )

Orginal Title : Okuribito ( Japanese )

Genre : Drama | Romance | Classic | Musical

Our Rating : 9.5/10

Director : Yojiro Takita

Casting : Masahiro Motoki , Ryoko Hisosue , Tsutomu Yamazaki


Departures by Yojiro Takita is one of finest musical drama ever made and will remain as a unique masterpiece in Japanese Film Archives. No wonder why it won so many awards including academy award for best Foreign language film on 81st Oscar ( 2009 ) . Movie plot focus on three main characters Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a cellist in Tokyo , his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) and his new boss new boss Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki). Daigo is a middle class man who works full-time playing cello in a orchestra and his wife Mika who also works part-time to help Daigo financially. Everything goes well until one day when his Orchestra is disbanded leaving him Jobless. . He also admits to his well understanding supportive wife that he has struck up in debt to purchase his new cello and that losing his job has a toll on him to payback the debt. With no other option left, he sells the instrument to settle up things and they decide to move back to his hometown near Yamagata to live in a house which was left behind by his recently deceased mother..The house which they are going to live was used as a coffee bar run by his dad who abandoned her mother when Daigo was just six years old. This had a very deep impact on daigo leaving a scar in his heart with much hatred towards his dad.

Finally they movie into the house were daigo grew up during his childhood days. Daigo's past memories haunts him for every breath he spends in this old house. Things seems to settle and Mika seem to adapt well with the new environment with Daigo forced to look out for a job in this town to run their day to day life. Daigo while going through daily newspaper , reads a Job offer news wanting a Assistant of Departures ,along with a note that the job doesn't require any educational qualification or previous experience to apply. Daigo thinking it as a mail or Courier services job which goes well with a name Departures takes interest on this position and travels to meet up the employer Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki). His first meet with sasaki gets interesting when daigo gets to know that the paper ad infact was a mistake and that the job was actually for a assistant to Sasaki for working as a encoffiner who performs encoffinment a ceremony that prepares the deceased for a peaceful departure from this world with a curious combination of funeral rites and embalming procedures on the freshly deceased which involves bathing the body , grooming the corpse by performing makeup , dress them up with new ones, to prepare them to look like living so the deceased family can have a one last glimpse of the person in a way they want to see them before buried or burned. The procedure involves much patience , gesture , precise technique and more importantly should empathize with the deceased family by giving the much needed respect to the corpse though not alive and they are actually employed by Undertaker in local town .Sasaki as soon as their first meet with no questions to ask immediately appoints him as his assistant with a huge salary offer along with paying a token advance even without checking much details about him . Though Daigo has no interest to take up this job which no other person would ever take nor he his mentally prepared to work as a encoffiner decides to take it up initially because of his financial instability and immediate need of job to keep Mika Happy. He hides to mika about his nature of job convincing her that he is working in a marketing firm.Daigo starts to play the cello again, the one he had left in the house as a child making the audience travel through the music to their childhood memories.

He starts to work with Sasaki at various scenes for performing last funeral rites . Daigo who is currently a encoffiner in training slowly learns the art from his master 'n' boss Sasaki takes up the calls single handed as days progress. Things go well until the day when his wife discovers about his job as a encoffiner requests daigo to stop continuing his current job thinking it could affect their pride and family name. Daijo now in a helpless position where he has taken up the job whole heartedly as a carrier for he feels it not just a service performed to deceased person but more of a spiritual journey it embarks and he feels connected to the deceased helping their family express their grief. This changed his perception on how he looked at this job initially. So he refuses the request from mika , leaving her no option to depart to her mother's hometown. Many days pass by , many emotional scenes daigo come across through his journey as a encoffinner while attending various funerals making it a part of his life. In a fine winter day , he finds his wife returned back to live with him , but still with a same condition to stop working as a encoffiner. While they are in midst of discussion , he gets a call to prepare the body of Yamashita's mother, who ran a local bath house. She is well known to daigo from childhood and he personally deals with grief mourning for his loss while performing the service to her in-front of her family members and mika . This event changes Mika once for all and starts to respect her husband job. While things settle down for daigo , mika receives a telegram reporting about diago's father death in a nearby town. First diago hesitate to visit him for the hatred he had on him , later convinced by his wife and coworker he travels to visit his father for performing final rights. That's when he comes to know that his father was living single through his life time after the separation and that he was still carrying the memories of his family till his last breath. Touched by the love his father had and realizing his great loss, performs his father funeral service himself personally with tears in his eyes all over leaving us heavy hearted.

Yojiro Takita brilliance is seen allover the film especially choosing a script which is very hard to make , difficult to present in a way its intended to. But Yjiro definitely sculpted it out beautifully with a astonishing screenplay. A Great applause for the performance of Masahiro Motoki who had delivered his acting to perfection scene by scene. More than the movie its the music which will make your heart melt through , Simply amazing and Mesmerizing .There are few scenes where the music would speak up rather then the dialogues from the cast especially the Track in below Link is mind blowing and for sure a melody to hear. Am sure the movie wouldn't have been in a place where its now without the perfect blending of right music in .

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdhjHAGFQH8&feature=related
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiyFeT0Tpkk&feature=related
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72UHlQ4TyHA (Departures (Soundtrack) - 19 Okuribito (Ending) )

The last 10 minutes of the movie , especially when Daigo discovers a gravel stone held tightly by his dad during funeral service is one hell of a touching scene were you couldn't help yourself crying it out. Its guaranteed that it will bring tears on any kind of person watching it. Overall the movie covers the great things about a life and death , the Japanese tradition followed during funeral services and the life of a encoffiner with the great respect , pride involved on their job even though they are dealing with dead corpse. Director definitely sends out a strong message that there is no job called a bad job for every service they provide will be much needed by all now or later...Respect and to treat everyone equally.

FAM Punch Line : If there is one movie which can create a great emotional impact on viewers , then it would be it. This is definitely a smooth , soothing , melancholic , Touching , emotionally attracting movie which will haunt you for ever. It would be a sin not watching this movie for missing one of all time great film ever created. Watch it , feel connected and Share my joy i had while watching this film . FAM Certified Must watch Movie