Departures: It's All In The Details

Rating: 8/10 (9 December 2010)

2008's Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film didn't exactly come out of nowhere, but it was certainly the underdog in a race against Israel's Waltz With Bashir and France's Entre Les Murs. All three are worth seeing, but what makes Departures especially interesting is Director Yojiro Takita's filmography.
Considering the last Japanese AA Winner was Akira Kurosawa (for a Russian-made film), Takita is in elite company, especially for a filmmaker who cut his teeth making Pinku films. Pinku (Pinku Eiga) is essentially softcore pornography, but like most things in Japanese Cinema, it's nothing like its American counterpart.
Personally, I'm not a fan of Porn...but I am a fan of Pinku. The differences are myriad, but the fact a Pinku director would go on to helm a film as thought provoking, touching and poignant as Departures, comes as no surprise (even if it does suffer from unimpressive cinematography and a few corny moments). As much of a long shot as Departures was to win, the odds of an American porn Director making such a profound ascension to cinema's pantheon may be too staggering to even compute. http://eattheblinds.blogspot.com/