Departures: Okuribito in Japanese edition

music · movie · 201102

This is a writing by co-reviewer, Mei Kanata：In my last column of “Venus in a Bathroom”, I looked back on what my parents taught me through daily assignment of cleaning stairs. My parents always told me “whenever and wherever you clean, do it wholeheartedly while thinking about how users feel. If you clean wholeheartedly, users can see it and feel happy even though you don’t tell them your effort”. I think that this thought is something universal and applicable for various works. Engaging works or tasks wholeheartedly is valuable by itself. Moreover, when people are devoted to a work, they look beautiful and sometimes make others impressed. While thinking over such a thing, I remembered ‘Departures’, one of my favorite movies.

Departures

"Departures" is the film that won the 81st Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2009 Oscars. This is a heart-warming story of a mortician. The plot is summarized in English on its official web site: A premiere symphony orchestra in Tokyo disbands, leaving Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) suddenly unemployed. Suffering from an innate sense that he is a mediocre musician, he faces up to the fact that not everyone who has devoted their life to music can become a top artist. With wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) in tow, he moves back to his home town in the northeastern prefecture of Yamagata. They move into the crumbling remains of his mother’s house, which doubled as the local pub.

Spotting a Help Wanted ad featuring the word “departures,” he is excited about the prospect of trying a new career in the travel industry. He arrives for the interview, curiously eyeing the coffins lining the back wall of the office. The company owner, Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki), hires him on the spot, with only a cursory glance at his resume. Daigo finally ventures to ask what is involved, exactly, and is stunned to learn what he has gotten himself into: the ceremonial “encoffination” of corpses prior to cremation. Sasaki urges him to take the job, proffering large amounts of cash. He’s getting older, and needs someone to carry on the tradition.

In desperate straits, Daigo overcomes his initial trepidation and begins to travel around Hirano with Sasaki. Sasaki is comically matter-of-fact but firm in his directives and the contention that they are providing an important service to their community. Some cases are markedly traditional, featuring beatific family members in time-honored transition. Others highlight family dramas fraught with inevitable collisions, eased into unexpected conclusion. True to Sasaki’s expectations, Daigo develops a deep respect for life in all its variations, and a profound empathy for people trying to make peace with the finality of death.

Too embarrassed to tell his wife about his conversation-stopping profession and admit that he has fallen in love with the townsfolk, Daigo vainly tries to keep his new life secret. As their relationship hangs in the balance, the big question is how he’s going to react to surprising news she brings, as an encoffineer, as a husband, as a son and as a human being.

It is Daigo’s turn to deal with life and death among the people who are dearest to him. A story of love, of discovery, of revelation and of the transcending human spirit, "Departures" will linger in your heart and mind long after viewing.

(From the official website: http://www.departures-themovie.com)

Tsutomu Yamazaki and Masahiro Motoki

In this movie, despite prejudices toward morticians, Daigo, lead character, is gradually devoted to his job. The scenes when he encoffins the departed are sublime and beautiful. We can sense his warm-heartedness and respects to departed people when he touch them softy and gently. I think that these scenes made many audience impressed and moved.

We cannot judge value of a work by its categories such as a well paid job at investment bank or a temporary job at fast food restaurants, even my daily assignment for cleaning stairs during my childhood. What makes difference is whether a worker can engage a task wholeheartedly or not. I think that this is what this movie tells us.

I am Noboru Shimizu. Thank you for your amazing review, Kanata-san. You have been really wonderful for improving a quolity of our blog.

I just wanted to add one more information regarding this great movie. The original sound track of "Departures" also leads us feel moved in besutiful scenes in the movie. It is composed by Joe Hisaishi, whom I wrote a piece about. I put up two tunes from the O.S.T.

#3
kanko (金曜日, 18 2月 2011 21:17)

Shimizu－san,thank you very much!I think courageous great career choice. However, the current Japan job shortage seems hard, be shunned its occupation.
#2
o-sha-re-japan (金曜日, 18 2月 2011 20:20)

Kanko-san, thank you very much for you comment. I agree with you about your last sentence. I have never heard of a ”nou-kan-shi" as a mortician. I am sure the firm is an ”eye-opener” for many people about a wonderful role of this occupation.
#1
kanko (金曜日, 18 2月 2011 12:16)

When there isn't supposed to be discrimination, a son, my friend makes the occupation work, too, thinking.
It's said that they feel really thankful to the family of the deceased.
His mother always spreads a chest and speaks about son's occupation.
That's wonderful, I think I'm here and it's a fact.

It's said that the seat where that cello was being played is also managed importantly now.
It was the movie exposed to the light in the part which was being avoided and passed.