The harmony between life and death

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2016)

..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.