Saturday May 15, 2010
Departures
Japan 2008      130 minutes    12A certificate
Directed by Yojiro Takita, starring Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo, Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki

The winner of this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language film is a subtle and moving tale about the Japanese funeral trade. Diago is a 36 year old cellist, who decides that there is no future in orchestral music. He decides to return to his home town, applying for a position he sees advertised as involving ‘departures’, assuming that the role is something to do with travel. He finds that the travel involved is the journey we all take but never return from – his new position will mean training in the art of ‘encoffinment’, the ceremonial washing and beautification of the dead body. Diago is forced to overcome his revulsion at the idea, initially reluctant to reveal to his wife the realities of his new line of work, especially given that the role is something of a taboo in Japan. However, he eventually comes to appreciate the significance of this final ritual, its importance to his customers and to the culture he is part of, and to find fulfilment in his unexpected change of direction. The director – who, oddly enough, cut his directorial teeth in pornography – has said that he wanted to arouse curiosity about a subject avoided in Japanese culture, in order to open people’s minds to an industry that is taboo even though it is so intrinsic to everyone’s experience. The result is a quiet, beautifully composed and resonant film.

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