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| Lead Masahiro Motoki (The Emperor in August (2015)) plays the cello under the sky on the poster for Yôjirô Takita's Departures |
QUICK REVIEW:
A fired cellist and his wife move to his inherited childhood home, where he attains a new, controversial job as a mortician.
Departures is a fine film that begins in a silly-comedic way and ends SPOILER in a somewhat schematic, sentimental third act. The content, the particular, Japanese funeral rituals and especially the portrayal of the young couple at the story's center are the film's beautiful attractions, and also the cello and bathhouse scenes add a lyrical beauty to the film.
It is written by Kundô Koyama (Snow Prince/Sunô Purinsu: Kinjirareta Koi No Merodi (2009)) and directed by Yôjirô Takita (The Tropical People/Nettai rakuen kurabu (1994)).
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Cost: Unknown
Box office: 69.9 mil. $
= Uncertain
[But most likely a big to huge hit. Departures was made with some trepidation and difficulties, because funerals are apparently a taboo in Japan. The film opened #5 in Japan, peaking at #3 and drew 2.6 mil. admissions there, equal to 61 mil. $ (87.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Hong Kong with 1.6 mil. $ (2.3 %) and North America with 1.4 mil. $ (2 %). The film got further interest from its win of the Best Foreign Film Oscar (against nominees The Class/Entre les Murs (2008), The Baader Meinhof Complex/The Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008), Waltz with Bashir/Vals im Bashir (2008) and Revanche (2008)), and it is the top-grossing Japanese film in Japan in 2008 as well as the 15th top-grossing film overall in Japan in 2008. Departures is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7.1 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Departures?
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