Friday, September 3, 2010

Departures

#39 on my List is to watch all the Oscar Winners for Best Foreign Language Film from 1980 to present.


I recently saw Departures (Okuribito, Japan, 2008).
It is the story of a failed cellist who on replying to a vaguely worded advertisement finds himself working in the trade of 'encoffinment', the preparation of corpses before their cremation. The encoffinment ceremony is an elaborate, tender, elegant and dignified process that prepares the person, and probably more significantly their family, for their departure.
I thought the movie was heartfelt, poetic, sweet and at times tinged with that particular humor that often accompanies the profession of undertaking. The cinematography was beautiful - there is simply no other word for it, and some of the scenes will stay with you long after the credits roll.

2 comments:

ks said...

so many cool themes in this film. and that still is beautiful!

Shreya said...

Very true, although parts of the film were predictable, they didn't take away from the movie at all.