Review by Lizzie Husher
Stars Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue & Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki,
Kimiko Yo, Takashi Sasano, Mitsuyo Hoshino, Tarô Ishida, Hiroyuki Kishi| Written by Kundo Koyama
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £22.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 130 minutes | Directed by Yojiro Takita
While this gentle Japanese drama – directed by former soft-core porn auteur Yojiro Takita – has its flaws, there is no denying it’s a sincere and tender piece of filmmaking.
The film follows Daigo (Motoki), a young man living in Tokyo, as his hopes for a musical career are dashed when the orchestra in which he plays cello is disbanded. He decides to return, with his wife (Hirosue), to live in the quiet town of his birth, and while searching for work comes across an ad for a job in "departures". Thinking it’s for a travel firm Daigo applies, and despite initial uncertainty, soon comes to find that the job of ritually preparing bodies for cremation gives him a new zest for life.
Like the characters in the film, the audience too must confront and accept the frightening – and often overlooked – subject of death, as we witness repeatedly the ceremonial washing, dressing and beautifying of dead bodies. The first scene presents us straight away with the odd and pretty morbid Buddhist tradition, but through Takita’s deft ability to keep the tone of the film hopeful despite its content, we’re inclined to come out of the film with an understanding and even admiration for the hands-on funereal approach. Like any successful naturalistic tale of life’s conflicts the whole spectrum of emotions is here, and just as easy as it is to cry big fat tears, it is to laugh out loud.
The acting is faultless; Motoki’s portrayal of a young man at crossroads is impressive, particularly considering he started his career as a boy band member, whilst Yamazaki is superb as the worldly-wise and unshakable teacher and father figure. The script is also lovely but, as always with a subtitled drama as subtle as this, it’s a concern that dialogue aspects may be lost in translation.
The plot direction is admittedly a little predictable, but does this significantly impair the enjoyment? Not really. This is not a movie hinged on plot cause and effect, it’s a human story in which character interaction, and abstract interpretation are more vital to audience appreciation than the basic skeletal narrative. What does appear to hinder the film though is the occasional over-wringing of sentimentality. A few of the scenes would have been far more poignant had they been shortened by several minutes. The scene involving Daigo’s father may initially make you cry but after the first fifteen minutes will have you glancing at your watch. To fully reap the benefits of this picture it’s probably best to forget the furore that surrounds its academy award win, it can then be appreciated as the warm and delicately profound film that it is.
EXTRAS ★★ here Just a half-hour making-of documentary, and a 13-minute feature called Encoffinment.