Jung and Film Online | Departures

Departures is a whimsical yet complex film from Japan, which won the 2009 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Daigo (played by Masahiro Motoki), a young cellist, loses his job when the orchestra he plays with is defunded. Desperate for a new beginning, Daigo and his wife Mika (Ryôko Hirosue) return to his home town, where he answers an employment ad for Departures. Thinking it is a job in a travel agency, Daigo signs on, only to discover that the position requires him to prepare the dead for burial. Little by little, as the fresh apprentice plunges deep into the unknown world of ceremonial funeral preparation often viewed with disgust and disdain in the Japanese culture, the secret of Daigo’s employment creates a crisis in his marriage and threatens everything he has worked for. But what if this is his true calling in life? The film engages the audience from start to finish, as it sets up a seemingly unresolvable conflict, and incrementally reveals the unexpected resolution.