japrice-26876 This film was definitely a favorite of mine. It is about a man named daigo who loses his job and must return to his hometown. Once he returns to his hometown he is confronted by his past and must reconnect with his past. He is desperate for a job and decides to search for anything that will pay well. He calls an ad listed as departures, which turned out to be misspelled. It was suppose to say the departed, as the job requires one to handle dead bodies through bathing, washing, and clothing. It is a job considered beneath others and filthy because you earn your money through the death of others. At first Daigo, does not like his job by little by little he comes to a new understanding it. The process of preparing the corpse is shown in detail within the context of the story. The film eventually captures the audience through the beautiful display of sending off the dead. It is displayed as a ceremony including only close family members and the occasional close friend. The undertaker cares for the dead with utmost precision in shaving and clothing of the dead in front of the audience. This film is very powerful in instilling in the viewer that we should take each precious moment as if it were out last. While watching this film I also noticed marvelous acting by the cast, but the wife of the protagonist seemed a bit misplaced and shallow. Overall, the film is sincere in its nature and captures the beauty connected with the sending off of the dead. This film could also be seen as comedic through the acting of the boss of the departure service who seems to make the best of any situation.

pjfarley Although the start of the film is a bit slow paced for my taste, I really love the comedic aspects that were incorporated into this film. When I realized what the movie was about, I originally thought that it was going to be a very slow movie about a very serious topic. I was wrong, I loved how the director found some way to add comedy into such a serious topic such as funerals. One of my favorite scenes was when Daigo was forced to wear a diaper and act as the corpse that the man was performing the ceremony on. His facial expressions where quite amusing and really lightened the mood of what could have been a very sad topic.

logatherum I really liked this film, despite some confusing elements and details. I liked it because I have never seen anything like this. It was on a taboo subject; death and funerals. It was really amazing to me to see the different traditions when a loved one dies in Japan, taking into account religion compared to the US. In some ways, I wish that we embraced deaths little more, and were not as uncomfortable with people dying as we are. I found that in Japan, the family is more touchy with the body, which makes more sense to me than how we are (which is hesitant) because we once loved these people! This movie makes me remember that death is just a part of life, and is okay. Like the main character, Daigo, said "What's wrong with it!? Death is just a part of life! You will die, and so will I!" I liked this part of the film because it's when his wife found out that he was an NK Agent and she was disgusted. I liked how Daigo stood up for himself and insisted that it's really not that weird, since death is so common and they are people we love. Personally, I do not frown upon morticians, death ceremony leaders, etc., because I think that it's a brave thing to do, and to frown upon this is a bit rude to the deceased. In my opinion, just because a loved one is dead doesn't mean that we should become hesitant around them during funeral ceremonies. The parts that were a bit confusing about this movie were the parts with the salmon and octopus. I thought it was a little confusing at the beginning when they were prepping the body and it came out that the person that had died was transgender. I only found this confusing because I don't think it was relevant to the movie, and since this was the very first scene, I thought maybe it would tie together in the end, but it didn't. Other than these parts, I thought the story line was really interesting and I loved the ending.

Ricc0 ..The Godfather, 8 1/2, Solaris, Taxi Driver, Citizen Kane, Paths of Glory.. etc. When it comes to the old cinema, it is easy for me to find a film that I consider a masterpiece.. that's not the case among "new films".However, this is not the case with "Okuribito (2008)".. a truly flawless movie that is simply perfect. Based on "Coffinman", a memoir by Shinmon Aokia, the film follows the life of an untalented musician who goes back to his hometown only to find himself doing one of the oddest jobs for a living.. preparing the dead for funerals (Nokanshi).The film drags you into it from the first beginning.. the highly executed film will draw your senses and pull your feelings to where the protagonist "Daigo" is.. you will feel his desperation, his confusion, his attempt to find himself, his place in a life that had not granted him enough talent to dig a safe place for himself as a cellist. He is lost and so he goes back to his hometown so maybe he'd find the rebirth.. he is searching for a new beginning.. for an answer.Daigo is now preparing the dead for cremation.. his wife doesn't know and he is not sure about it.. he hesitates.. he struggles with his "repulsive" new job but keeps on doing it. After a while things really starts to change. He doesn't care about all the criticism, the social taboos, or the prejudices.. through one of the most controversial issues he now finds harmony.. through the horrid appearances he finds peace.. through pain he finds love, and through death he finds life. Now he too thinks that death is a gateway.His wife left him when she knew what his job was.. she went back to him when she knew that she was pregnant thinking that she would find him wrecked without her.. the man who is now in harmony with life, who started to rediscover his own music and the love inside him is far from being wrecked.. he could love her, love everything, and simply live against the conditions.. even the ideas and feelings he carried for his father that left him when he was a child were about to change.Every scene every shot in this masterpiece held certain significance.. The writing, editing, cinematography, acting.. every aspect of it was great. I should say I was fascinated by the character of Daigo's boss Ikuei (depicted by Tsutomu Yamazaki). The old man who has been in touch with the dead for a long time is now so wise about life in everything he does and says. Some reviews criticized the film for overt sentimentality and predictability, while simply this film is not about twists or unpredictable events.. it's a journey to the inside.. a search a quest for peace and love and therefore also its sentimentality was more than proper.. it rips your soul from your body only to find yourself questioning yourself and the life you've been leading. In its drama, romance, or humor this film was just fascinating.