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Departures |  | Director: Yôjirô Takita
Actors: Masahiro Motoki, Ryoko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo
Studio: E1 Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.98
Buy New: $12.61
as of 7/29/2010 18:22 CDT details
You Save: $14.37 (53%)
New (34) Used (15) from $9.90
Seller: mediaplanet
Rating:  76 reviews
Sales Rank: 1131
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), Japanese (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 130 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: KCHDE1E6757D
UPC: 741952675792
EAN: 0741952675792
ASIN: B002SF9YNO
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: January 12, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
WHEN HIS ORCHESTRA DISBANDS, DAIGO KOBAYASHI MOVES BACK TO HIS H OMETOWN AND TAKES A JOB PREPARING CORPSES FOR BURIAL. TOO EMBAR RASSED TO ADMIT HIS NEW CAREER TO HIS FAMILY, DAIGO KEEP HIS PRO FESSION A SECRET UNTIL HE LEARNS THE TRUE JOY AND WONDER OF LIVI NG.
Departures is surely the gentlest, sweetest movie about death that you will ever see. A cellist named Diago (Masahiro Motoki) comes to the rueful conclusion that he’s not talented enough to make a career as a musician; having just returned to his hometown with his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue, Wasabi), he answers a job ad for what he thinks must be a travel agency... only to discover that company prepares bodies to be placed in coffins. Fearful of his wife’s response, he hides his new job--but as he grows to appreciate his boss (Tsutomu Yamazaki, Tampopo) and the affect that the humbling ceremony of cleaning and dressing the deceased has on their families, Diago discovers that he might have a calling. Departures won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and it’s easy to understand why. Though it starts out quietly and even seems slight, it gradually builds in emotional power, layer by layer, until scene after scene at the end is richly moving. Particularly affecting is the performance of Kimiko Yo, the secretary of the company, who harbors a troubling secret. A few moments of overt symbolism push the movie from compassion to sentimentality--but every time Departures seems to have lost its footing, a scene follows that strikes all the right notes so deftly it resonates like a bell. A truly marvelous movie. --Bret Fetzer
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 76
Musically Mastered and Layered July 25, 2010
C. X. Thao
One of the most beautiful movies I've seen in a long time. It's easy to see how this film won 2009's best foreign language award at the Academy Awards. It's such a strange thing, the build of the film. At the beginning it very gently hints at humor, kind of sweetly lulls you into feeling like it's a quaint 'slice of life' piece then slowly, not methodically, but very ... musically layers the pieces together to one giant emotionally climactic scene. I mean, this thing hit me like a brick, I can't remember the last time I cried during a film. Just... wow.
Departures July 23, 2010
J. David Woodend
This is a great movie. It has subtitles but most of the time the dialogue is sparse enough to read without having to pause. It is a very tender and sensitive movie without being sentimental or maudlin. It elegantly avoided all the pitfalls that ruin so many of this kind movie. It's educational, but I wouldn't hold that against it.
Not what you think July 7, 2010
D. B. Schaffer (Folsom,CA)
It's no wonder this is the 2008 academy award winning best foreign film. What a treat of a movie. There are things to learn and great performances by all involved. This is a must see film for people who enjoy a very good story.
 Funereal and funny June 25, 2010
J. A. Eyon (Seattle - USA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Quiet, wry story of a failed celloist who moves back to his hometown and finds a job ritually preparing bodies in front of the deceased's family, readying them for the coffin and cremation. Most of the 2 hour film was unfamiliar and unexpected. Then came the predictable ending that ruined it for me -- altho some may find it heartwarming.
Moves at the pace of a funeral tune, not surprisingly. An odd sensation accompanied me thru out the film -- I definitely would not want this being done to me! Gloomy photography perhaps enhanced the mood -- but put me off further. Good actors, however.
Different -- and interesting becuz of that.
 Happy Father's Day June 22, 2010
Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States)
I rented "Departures" because it won the Oscar recently for Best Foreign-Language Film. There's always a lot of great competition in that category. I found "Departures" to be very engrossing although there were a couple of moments that I was a bit uncertain about where we were going next. The essential plot is that of a gifted (but not THAT gifted) cellist who loses his job (along with the rest of the orchestra). He returns to his relatively small home town and finds a job. It's an unusual job and understanding the job takes up a fair amount of the film. Some people belittle or otherwise criticize the job. (I know my wife probably would have given me a choice of her or the job).
The cast of characters begins to come together in a most unique manner and reaches a conclusion that achieves an emotional peak. I was emotionally spent as a result of the last few minutes of the film. As I was watching the ending unfold, I remembered that it was Father's Day. In fact, my two daughters had each called during the movie at which times I gratefully put the DVD on pause until our conversations were completed. I realized that I had been given one of the greatest cinematic glimpses of a father's love (no matter how incomplete the example may have been) that I have experienced on film. (Our own family movies aside, of course).
The film, overall, has its' ups and downs and I was disappointed that the director felt he (or she?) had to repeat an earlier scene to make sure we got the message. I recalled the earlier scene quite clearly when the time came to put it all together and I felt that repeating it was an example of a director not respecting his (or her?) audience. Nonetheless, love takes many forms in expressing itself and "Departures" contribution to this kaleidoscope was brilliant and unforgettable. I'm glad I picked just the right day to watch "Departures".
Showing reviews 1-5 of 76
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