Directed by:
Yōjirō TakitaScreenplay:
Kundō KoyamaCinematography:
Takeshi HamadaComposer:
Joe HisaishiPlots(1)
Departures follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled "Departures" thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to discover that the job is actually for a "Nokanshi" or "encoffineer", a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the art of "Nokanshi," acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. The film follows his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living. (KinoSmith)
(more)Cast
Masahiro Motoki
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
The Longest Night in Shanghai (2007)
Tekkonkinkreet (2006)
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Japan
Best movies:
High and Low (1963)
Red Beard (1965)
Departures (2008)
Ryōko Hirosue
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Revenge of the Pomegranate Tree Hill (2014)
Secret (1999)
Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
When Marnie Was There (2014)
Kikujiro (1999)
Kimiko Yo
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Virgin Snow (2007)
A Tale of Samurai Cooking: A True Love Story (2013)
Takashi Sasano
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Our Mother (2008)
The Hidden Blade (2004)
Tetta Sugimoto
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World (2004)
I Give My First Love to You (2009)
Sanae Miyata
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Adrift in Tokyo (2007)
Happy Flight (2008)
今本洋子
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
1,778 Stories of Me and My Wife (2011)
Kimi's Friend (2008)
Tatsuhito Okuda
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Death Note: The Last Name (2006)
Death Note (2006)
Tatsuo Yamada
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2003)
Japan Sinks (2006)
Tôru Minegishi
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Last Samurai (1974)
The Fall of Ako Castle (1978)
Mari Hayashida
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Nobody Knows (2004)
I Just Didn't Do It (2006)