In spite of what Hollywood may think, when it comes to movies, we like surprises. I know the studios spend millions each year trying to take that away from us. They want to make sure the audience knows exactly what it’s getting when it heads to the theatre. Studio executives crave that built-in awareness, believing it will translate into a big opening weekend. You can’t really blame them. With so much at stake financially, Hollywood wants to eliminate as much risk as possible. But as a result, the only thing easier to get made in this town than a film based on a comic book or old TV series is a sequel. And sure, I enjoyed Terminator Salvation and Angels and Demons, but I certainly wasn’t surprised by them. I pretty much knew what I’d get going in. Neither disappointed.
I suppose I’m part of the problem. One aspect of my job is to provide information about movies. And, as a result, I also get a lot of information about them. Thanks to the internet, we all get a lot of information about movies. Perhaps because of this, one of my favorite cinematic pleasures these days is to see a movie I know very little about and discover as I’m watching it just how wonderful it is.
I recently enjoyed such an experience with Departures.
The word you are going to hear a lot with the film is “surprise.” Its win for Best Foreign Film was undoubtedly the biggest surprise at this year’s Academy Awards. Most of my colleagues believed this category would be won by Israel’s Waltz with Bashir. Its only competition was thought to be the French entry The Class. So when the winner in this category was announced at the February ceremony, to everyone’s surprise it was this relatively unknown film. Departures became Japan’s first Foreign Film Oscar winner since 1955’s Samurai, The Legend of Musashi. Said to be the most surprised by its win was Departures director Yojiro Takita.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
This upset aside, Departures is “surprising” for several reasons. First is its subject matter -- “encoffination.” This is a little known Japanese ritual where the recently deceased are ceremoniously washed, dressed and placed in a coffin in preparation for cremation as friends and family members watch and bereave.
The unusual occupation of preparing a body for its final departure is unveiled in the film through Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki). A concert cellist talented enough to making a living with a Tokyo symphony orchestra, Daigo gets the first surprise of Departures when his company folds and he’s without work. For economic reasons, Daigo decides, with wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) in tow, to return to his home town and move into his late mother’s house.
As he begins his search for a new job, Daigo happens upon an ad featuring the word “Departures” and not much else. He thinks it has something to do with the travel industry. But when he shows up to apply, before he’s really sure what’s happening, the company’s owner (Tsutomu Yamazaki) hires him.
When Diego realizes what he has gotten himself into, he is horrified. In Japan, this type of work is looked upon as one of the lowliest of jobs. Diego is so ashamed, he won’t even tell his wife the details about his new occupation. He ponders quitting, but his new boss Sasaki won’t let him. He is getting older and wants someone to carry on the business. He believes Diego is that someone and coaxes him into staying. The more Diego learns about his new trade, the more he comes to realize the important role it plays in the grieving process. But as his respect for his new profession grows, it also begins to impact his life negatively -- from threatening his marriage to making Diego question his very purpose in life.
I knew nothing about “encoffination” before seeing Departures and was fascinated by it. The beauty of the ceremony, coupled with the precision by which it is performed, makes the film worth seeing on its own. But as surprising as this look at Japanese culture is, it is just one of the unexpected elements of this film. Departures is also very funny. The director Yojiro Takita and screenwriter Kundo Koyama make the most out of this situation -- generating some hysterical situations as Diego learns his craft. The story builds thoughtfully, blending its characters in an intriguing premise that builds to a touching conclusion.
I hope you have the opportunity to experience Departures. And if you do, don’t be “surprised” if it’s one of the best film’s you’ve seen in some time.
Departures director
Yojiro Takita (right), its star Masahiro Motoki (left)
and Oscar (center)
