Departures
Departures was this year's surprise foreign film Oscar winner. Many people were upset because they wanted either Waltz with Bashir (a great film) or The Class (okay but a bit disappointing) to win. This seems to have lead to resentment from some critics who have unfairly bashed the film. It is a beautiful and heartfelt film and deserves to be seen.
Director Yojiro Takita and screenwriter Kundo Koyama do a wonderful job of bringing the story to the screen. Daigo (Mashiro Motoki) is a cello player in an orchestra based in Tokyo. However, things are not going well in the financial department and the orchestra has to disband. When Daigo tells his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) that he wants to go back to his place of birth and live in the house that his mother left him she agrees to it. When looking for a job he sees an ad in the newspaper saying departures. He thinks that it is a travel agency. But it is anything but. This agency helps prepare dead people for cremation.
Now, this might sound depressing but there is a lot of humor in the film. And there were a number of moments where my eyes welled up with tears. We learn a lot about Japanese rituals. The way one prepares the body for its journey from this world to the next is filled with the utmost respect.
The acting is very good by all involved. And I should make a special note of Tsutomu Yamazaki. The veteran actor was outstanding as Ikuei, the owner of the agency.
Despite winning the Oscar the film is not doing that well at the box office. I guess the reviews (including A.O. Scott's dismissive one in the NY Times) might have something to do with that. But people don't like to see films dealing with this subject matter. Westerners seem to deny the fact that they will die. Well, guess what? Everyone dies. And people from the east seem to understand that fact very well.
Did Departures deserve to win the Oscar? Well, I can't say. I still would have preferred the innovative Bashir to win. But I certainly can't be that upset if a film this good takes the prize instead. I hope that people will take a chance and see Departures either on the big screen (if you can find it) or on DVD when it comes out. It is an experience that you won't forget.
Director Yojiro Takita and screenwriter Kundo Koyama do a wonderful job of bringing the story to the screen. Daigo (Mashiro Motoki) is a cello player in an orchestra based in Tokyo. However, things are not going well in the financial department and the orchestra has to disband. When Daigo tells his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) that he wants to go back to his place of birth and live in the house that his mother left him she agrees to it. When looking for a job he sees an ad in the newspaper saying departures. He thinks that it is a travel agency. But it is anything but. This agency helps prepare dead people for cremation.
Now, this might sound depressing but there is a lot of humor in the film. And there were a number of moments where my eyes welled up with tears. We learn a lot about Japanese rituals. The way one prepares the body for its journey from this world to the next is filled with the utmost respect.
The acting is very good by all involved. And I should make a special note of Tsutomu Yamazaki. The veteran actor was outstanding as Ikuei, the owner of the agency.
Despite winning the Oscar the film is not doing that well at the box office. I guess the reviews (including A.O. Scott's dismissive one in the NY Times) might have something to do with that. But people don't like to see films dealing with this subject matter. Westerners seem to deny the fact that they will die. Well, guess what? Everyone dies. And people from the east seem to understand that fact very well.
Did Departures deserve to win the Oscar? Well, I can't say. I still would have preferred the innovative Bashir to win. But I certainly can't be that upset if a film this good takes the prize instead. I hope that people will take a chance and see Departures either on the big screen (if you can find it) or on DVD when it comes out. It is an experience that you won't forget.
posted by Film Fanatic | 8:24 PM
1 Comments:
I too enjoyed the movie. It might sound like a very serious film, but at times it is extremely funny, especially his first day at the new job. Obviously handling dead bodies is still a no-no in Japan, so he has to convince his wife that its a good job, after the job has grown on him. I was also amused how serious his boss apologized to his client for being five minutes late. And the best thing was that I learned so much about the daily life in Japan.
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