Transcending To The Last Level

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2009)

In Yojiro Takita's heartfelt film,'Okuribito' (released in the U.S. & other English speaking countries as 'Departures'),Daigo Kobayshi is a cellist with a symphony orchestra that mainly plays to sparse audiences. When the owner of the orchestra drops the bombshell that he is disbanding the orchestra, Daigo sells his cello, and with his beloved wife,moves back to the house he grew up in. Seeking employment,he answers an advertisement proclaiming departures, figuring it's some kind of travel agent. When he discovers that,due to a print error in the newspaper that the job is preparing the dearly departed for the undertaker,he balks at the idea,but eventually warms up to the job. Daigo also begins to ponder the fine line between life and death & the relationship with his own parents (he lost his mother while on tour with the orchestra,and his father abandoned both Daigo & his mother when Daigo was only 8). This loving meditation on life and death is directed by Yojiro Takita,with a well written screen play by Kundo Koyama that blends drama,pathos & dark humour to put across the point. Masahiro Motoki plays Daigo,in a winning performance of a man coming to terms with life & death. Royoko Hirosue is his wife,Mika, who just beams charisma with every scene she plays in. Throw in some crisp photography and editing,and an enlightening evening of fine Japanese cinema is in store. Spoken in Japanese with English subtitles. Rated PG-13 by the MPAA for mature subject matter,and a bit of naughty language.