Departures

This is one of the best films I have ever seen. No wonder it won the Oscar this year for best foreign film. Congratulations to Japan for this outstanding sensitive creative piece of art.

Daigo is a gentle beautiful young man. He is happily married to his lovely Mika. Daigo plays the cello but is just not good enough to stay with the symphony. We are treated to one performance of the symphony with a fabulous chorus. It was wonderful. Daigo loses his job and is at loose ends.

He is hired to work with a caring man who prepares the dead bodies for cremation. There is a ritual to be followed. One moment you are laughing and the next moment the kleenex are needed. Both Daigo and his boss are so sensitive and gentle with the departed. It is really beautiful to watch them in action. I could almost feel the tender touch as they prepare the body. The family sits and watches as the preparations go on. A cover is placed on top of the body as the men gently wash the body under the cover. Makeup is softly applied.

Daigo is shunned by friends for doing this work. Even his wife cannot accept this job and leaves him. When she discovers she is pregnant she comes back home.

When the lady at the bathhouse dies Daigo is called. Mika goes with him. She sees how tender and caring he is with the body and she sheds a tear.

Daigo is called to say goodbye to his father. His father had run off with a younger woman and Daigo hadn’t seen him in 30 years. He tends to the body and is able to say good bye in a ritual way.

The cinematography is magnificent. The symbolic white birds are so beautiful to watch. The muted scenes in the winter and the blossoms in summer are exquisite. Daigo’s serene face and gently hands are inspirational.

I actually have a new understanding of the gentleness of death. I learned a lot about the tradition. This film indeed deserves to be called the best of the year.