Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Yvonne Jodi Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

japrice-26876 This film was definitely a favorite of mine. It is about a man named daigo who loses his job and must return to his hometown. Once he returns to his hometown he is confronted by his past and must reconnect with his past. He is desperate for a job and decides to search for anything that will pay well. He calls an ad listed as departures, which turned out to be misspelled. It was suppose to say the departed, as the job requires one to handle dead bodies through bathing, washing, and clothing. It is a job considered beneath others and filthy because you earn your money through the death of others. At first Daigo, does not like his job by little by little he comes to a new understanding it. The process of preparing the corpse is shown in detail within the context of the story. The film eventually captures the audience through the beautiful display of sending off the dead. It is displayed as a ceremony including only close family members and the occasional close friend. The undertaker cares for the dead with utmost precision in shaving and clothing of the dead in front of the audience. This film is very powerful in instilling in the viewer that we should take each precious moment as if it were out last. While watching this film I also noticed marvelous acting by the cast, but the wife of the protagonist seemed a bit misplaced and shallow. Overall, the film is sincere in its nature and captures the beauty connected with the sending off of the dead. This film could also be seen as comedic through the acting of the boss of the departure service who seems to make the best of any situation.

Lily Schneider The film, "Departures," filmed and directed by Yojiro Takita, was a very well put together film, in my opinion. One of the main themes was somewhat creepy. This theme was funeral services in Japan. However, the film also focused on other things like family and the circle of life, which were both heartwarming to watch. Although the services were exotic and different as to how we celebrate and grieve for the dead in the United States, it was very interesting and gave the viewers a very cool global perspective. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys learning about different cultures, especially cultures in Asia, including Japanese culture. This movie also had some comical parts, so the film was not just depressing and interesting, but also funny at some points.

haondoor "Departures" follows the life of Daido Kobayashi, a washed up cellist that attempts to find a new job and life back in his hometown. Little does Daido know, that when he discovers an ad for an opening at a departure agency that will change help him discover his real passion. Written by Kundo Koyama and directed by Yojiro Takita, "Departures" connects with the audience on a level that is very much opposite of its actions in the feature. The departure job that Daido ends up accepting is not for a travel agency like he and others thought, but instead, it is a funeral business that prepares the dead for their loved one's families and attempts to help the deceased, peacefully pass over into the next life. At the same time, we watch the arguments and solutions that occur between Daido and his wife Mika, as everyone encourages him to quit his job and peruse the passion of playing the cello in an orchestra. Overall, the movie "Departures" is a great example of what some Buddhist believe and how they treat the afterlife, as well as keeping a sense of entertainment through the journey of the protagonist searching for his true self instead of the self that is given to him by others or even the one that he thinks is the correct path. At its base, this movie shows the audience what it looks like to discover and pursue a person's authentic self that builds a level of identity that is real, true, genuine, inside of each one of us, and although it can change it is truly who you are at the core, and more importantly it is the one thing that separates everyone from each other because you are uniquely yours.

Ricc0 ..The Godfather, 8 1/2, Solaris, Taxi Driver, Citizen Kane, Paths of Glory.. etc. When it comes to the old cinema, it is easy for me to find a film that I consider a masterpiece.. that's not the case among "new films".However, this is not the case with "Okuribito (2008)".. a truly flawless movie that is simply perfect. Based on "Coffinman", a memoir by Shinmon Aokia, the film follows the life of an untalented musician who goes back to his hometown only to find himself doing one of the oddest jobs for a living.. preparing the dead for funerals (Nokanshi).The film drags you into it from the first beginning.. the highly executed film will draw your senses and pull your feelings to where the protagonist "Daigo" is.. you will feel his desperation, his confusion, his attempt to find himself, his place in a life that had not granted him enough talent to dig a safe place for himself as a cellist. He is lost and so he goes back to his hometown so maybe he'd find the rebirth.. he is searching for a new beginning.. for an answer.Daigo is now preparing the dead for cremation.. his wife doesn't know and he is not sure about it.. he hesitates.. he struggles with his "repulsive" new job but keeps on doing it. After a while things really starts to change. He doesn't care about all the criticism, the social taboos, or the prejudices.. through one of the most controversial issues he now finds harmony.. through the horrid appearances he finds peace.. through pain he finds love, and through death he finds life. Now he too thinks that death is a gateway.His wife left him when she knew what his job was.. she went back to him when she knew that she was pregnant thinking that she would find him wrecked without her.. the man who is now in harmony with life, who started to rediscover his own music and the love inside him is far from being wrecked.. he could love her, love everything, and simply live against the conditions.. even the ideas and feelings he carried for his father that left him when he was a child were about to change.Every scene every shot in this masterpiece held certain significance.. The writing, editing, cinematography, acting.. every aspect of it was great. I should say I was fascinated by the character of Daigo's boss Ikuei (depicted by Tsutomu Yamazaki). The old man who has been in touch with the dead for a long time is now so wise about life in everything he does and says. Some reviews criticized the film for overt sentimentality and predictability, while simply this film is not about twists or unpredictable events.. it's a journey to the inside.. a search a quest for peace and love and therefore also its sentimentality was more than proper.. it rips your soul from your body only to find yourself questioning yourself and the life you've been leading. In its drama, romance, or humor this film was just fascinating.