Film: Departures

Death is just a gateway, taking us somewhere else.

What is it that makes a man feel content with himself? While most other film critics talk about Departures as an exploration of what death means and how we deal with it (and most of their reviews are extremely positive) I think the underlying issue with this film is how we find fulfillment in life. Death is only one of the factors Kobayashi Daigo, the main character, must deal with to reach this fulfillment, others include his professional identity and family relationships with his wife and father.

A concert cellist in Tokyo, Daigo learns that the symphony he plays for is being disbanded. With a young wife and a lot of debt due on his uber-expensive cello, they decide to move back to the boyhood home left to him by his mother and start again in his small home town. Following a job posting labeled 'Departures' requiring no experience, Kobayashi's luck looks like it may change. He thinks it's a travel agency. In reality, its a funeral home. His job: to perform a traditional Japanese cleaning and dressing service for the deceased at the funeral in front of the family. We learn this job, usually the family's responsibility, is seen as low-station in Japan. Because of this he hides the truth from his wife and others.

While much of the tension in the film comes from marital problems resulting from his dishonesty and the fear of others' reactions, the key relationship used to show the growth of Daigo is that with his boss and mentor, the pithy Mr. Sasaki. As owner of the business he is looking for someone to be his protege and Daigo gets the job because he is the only one that applies. What begins as comical misunderstanding between an uncaring boss and his exasperated employee becomes a source of wisdom and learning for Daigo. He starts to understand Mr. Sasaki's unapologetic wisdom and learns to share his passion for the job. He finds meaning in helping families pay respect to their lost loved ones. His wife doesn't share his enthusiasm and decides to leave him.

It seems Daigo has never had to choose between personal fulfillment and social acceptance. His career as a musician, his move to the city, and his choice of wife were all things that were equally personally meaningful and socially applauded. Once he learns to love his job and starts respecting Mr. Sasaki and his profession, he faces a situation that requires either deception or courage. He opts first for the former and works towards the latter. Daigo isn't the only one who grows along the way as both his wife and Mr. Sasaki respond to Daigo's growth. Death is a gateway for those that die, but for Daigo and those around him it is also a gateway to personal fulfillment and growth.

So the movie is great. It is not especially innovative or original, but the relationships between Daigo and his boss, his wife, and his deceased father all make the film interesting. A few amusing situations and the dry Mr. Sasaki keep it from becoming a darker drama. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, although some criticize its selection over more innovative, less-traditional films.