Departures

‘Departures’ takes you on beautiful trip to death

Masahiro Motoki (left) and Tsutomu Yamazaki in “Departures.”

Beautiful. Lyrical. Mystifying.
I was simply blown over by the creativity and sensitivity of “Departures.”
If you think this is a travel film, well, it isn't. But don't feel bad. So did the main character.
Daigo Kobayashi, played by Masahiro Motoki, is a cellist in an orchestra. He admits he's not particularly good, but buys an expensive cello the pros would envy. Unfortunately, the concert hall is more than half empty and the orchestra owner announces to the troupe, “The orchestra is dissolved.”
Suddenly Kobayashi has to pay off an expensive instrument and is out of work. His wife, played by Ryoko Hirosue, can support them both, but not the cello.
So Kobayashi decides to move back to the cluttered old home where they can live for free. His mother is dead, his father left home years ago.
But he still needs work and finds and sees an advertisement for someone who can handle “departures.”
So he goes for an interview and the kindly business owner, played by Tsutomu Yamazaki, offers him a job and an obscene amount of money, the resume left unlooked at.
Hmmm, lots of money to work in travel? No. The advertisement had a misprint. It's not “departures,” it's “departed.”
It seems in Japan, where this movie takes place, people used to prepare their relatives' bodies for burial. It was a ceremonial process of washing the deceased and and setting the relative up for burial.
But today, people in Japan hire the work out. This would be Kobayashi's new job.
Well, the first call doesn't go real well. The deceased is an elderly woman found three weeks after she died. Kobayashi loses his lunch and desire to work, but his boss feeds him cash and tell s him to take the rest of the day off.
The Kobayashi character's mother recently died, but his father left them when he was little. In his mind, his father's face is just a blur.
We are introduced to the process of getting the body ready for burial with Kobayashi's boss. The family sits while the body is washed, clothing is rearranged, covers are moved about. It is part religious, it is part haunting ceremony, it is part magic trick.
Slowly, Kobayashi learns the trade. He learns what this final act means to the families of the deceased, whether an elderly grandmother or a young child.
It's a film that will make you cry, it will make you pensive about this world we live in.
The film ends in a beautiful moment in which Kobayashi deals with his father.
And as if a movie can't be more beautiful and uplifting, Kobayashi spends his off time playing his cello, getting better at this trade as his sensitivity grows.
This is a film that simply could not be made in the United States. The film has gotten good word of mouth and is worth your undivided attention. Fortunately, if you have a Netflix account, you can stream this film at your leisure.
It's a film that will live on with you, long after you've forgotten most others.
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DEPARTURES • Directed by Yojiro Takita, written by Kundo Koyama • Runtime: 130 minutes • Rated PG-13 for thematic material • 5 stars out of 5