"What I'd always thought as my dream, maybe hadn't been one after all."

Rating: 8/10 (29 March 2018)

Virtually all the Japanese films I've watched have dealt with Samurais or the elderly coping with old age, so it was in a way refreshing to see a film dealing with an offbeat topic like this. I say refreshing in a guarded manner because the main topic in the story involves death, with a recently made jobless man inquiring into a position that involves the preparation of corpses for burial. Sounds a lot like an undertaker, but in Japan, this is an intermediate step, and one which the uninformed viewer like myself will undoubtedly see as somewhat odd, though the way the story progresses, it's a ritual that offers dignity and reassurance to the grieving family of the departed.
The other idea that puzzled me somewhat was the reaction certain people had to Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) accepting the 'casketing' position. One of his long time friends suggested that he find a more suitable job, while his wife Mika (Ryôko Hirosue) was even more adamant. She was willing to leave her husband until he came to his senses about a choice of employment. The way the film proceeds, the negative reactions are gradually superseded by an understanding that the transition from life to death requires a thoughtful and dignified preparation for the afterlife. Daigo also undergoes a personal transformation when the close of the story challenges him to reconcile his feelings over a father who abandoned him and his mother when he was still a child.
Based on my comments, one might think the movie would be rather morose in tone, but there are some humorous moments. One such occurs when we observe Daigo preparing a corpse for burial and discovering the victim is of dubious sexual identity. What struck me as odd was the film that was put together by Daigo's employer Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki) demonstrating the proper technique for handling a corpse. I had to wonder what the purpose of that project would be. It looked like it might have been intended as a training film for prospective NK (casketing) agents, but why would it have been needed? Until Daigo joined Sasaki's firm, the only other employee was the secretary.