Khairudin Lee // Creative Hub

Movie Review - Departures (Japanese)

Monday March 9, 2009

Firstly, I wasn’t aware of the accolade it had bagged at the Oscars so when Nadi called and told me about it, I went in without expectations. Secondly, it is not be confused with The Departed, Hollywood’s (lame) remake of HK’s inferior Infernal Affairs.

Review

My reviews are always (at least I try to be) spoiler-free. Don’t worry, I’ll warn if there’s any.

Ok so the I-went-in-without-expectations part was a lie. I managed to catch a glimpse of a short review and saw its rating online, but I still didn’t know what sort of a movie it’d be like. Heck the poster couldn’t have been more boring. What is the least bit interesting seeing a guy wearing an emo-look on his face, sitting down somewhere posing with a cello? Honestly, nothing. But that’s a lesson to be learnt – never judge a movie by it’s theatrical poster or hearsay. Nope, bad move.

To begin with, this is a drama with its main theme about death but it is littered with lots of comic relieves to break the monotonous and morbid-ness. If you’re infatuated with and adore the Japanese culture and lifestyle, then this movie will be a joy to sit through. Basically, thanks to the realistic screenplay and cinematography, it beautifully explores the Japanese traditional art / ritual of cleansing the bodies of the deceased to prepare them for afterlife. A unique practice many of us non-Japanese don’t ever get the chance to witness.

The story basically revolves around Daigo Kobayashi, a musician who loses his job and loses himself into thinking what is he ever truly good at. He then journeys back to his hometown suburb away from the misery to start afresh by landing a job as an assistant encoffin-er – a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. Slowly, as he prides himself in his newfound profession, life mysteries start unfolding for him through the the different events.

It is in losing himself then, that he slowly learns and truly finds himself and eventually overcome his fears. There’ll be moments you’ll be forced to hold back your tears but there’ll be moments where you’ll smile, laugh and ponder.

Summary

It is a touching story of lost, love and life. Lasting around two hours, its pace similar to Benjamin Button’s. Maybe a little draggy towards the end but it doesn’t detract from the overall experience. Screenplay, casting and acting is believable. The simple and beautiful cinematography and direction have that Japanese Zen-ness to it somehow. Some reviewers might be adamant on this being a a sappy and depressing movie, I don’t disagree but I felt it is all that and much much more. Laugh, cry, feel, think and just enjoy the movie.

Verdict

Rating: 8.5/10
Catch this before it departs from theaters.

// Filed under: Media

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