The Thousands

It makes sense that there aren’t too many flicks around about death. Being reminded of your own mortality doesn’t exactly shout “choc-bomb-n-popcorn goodtimes!”. For the most part, directors deal with this hot potato through slapstick comedy (Death At A Funeral), or Hollywood sentimentalism (Philadelphia). Yôjirô Takita‘s Departures avoids such cliched filmmaking methods towards death and dying, as we follow unemployed Japanese cellist, Diago (Masahiro Motoki), and his decision to take up work preparing corpses for cremation. Takita instead peppers his original tale with a special recipe of black humour and drama, so that you come away deeply moved, but smiling.

Depatures was the winner of this year’s Best Foreign Film Oscar, but don’t let that dissuade you- its quirky, independent feel, unusual subject matter and wry, deft direction make it a great example of what a film should be. Anyone with an interest in Japan’s cultural heritage should really get off watching an initially hesitant Daigo learning the supremely sacred, precise art of preparing a corpse for Japanese burial – you’ll be in awe at how beautiful these sequences are. The cello music that soundtracks the film ties in to thematic perfection and the sensory landscape of the film evokes today’s Japan in a way that feels just right, to those who’ve been there – all grey overhead skies, steamy onsen, and dim, wooden interiors.

Bowra and O’Dea eat your heart out – Yôjirô Takita is a master of filmic ceremony.