Departures (2008)
Departures (2008)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Departures is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Google Play Movies, YouTube, Plex, Plex Channel, Fandango At Home
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
Cast & Crew.
Masahiro Motoki
Daigo Kobayashi
Ryoko Hirosue
Mika Kobayashi
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Ikuei Sasaki
Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Tsuyako Yamashita
Kimiko Yo
Yuriko Kamimura
Takashi Sasano
Shokichi Hirata
Tetta Sugimoto
Yamashita
Toru Minegishi
Yoshiki Kobayashi
Tatsuo Yamada
Togashi
Yukari Tachibana
Tarō Ishida
Sonezaki
Sanae Miyata
Naomi Togashi
Ryosuke Otani
Tomeo's Father
Yojiro Takita
Director
Joe Hisaishi
Original Music Composer
Kundo Koyama
Screenplay
Yasuhiro Mase
Executive Producer
Toshiaki Nakazawa
Producer
Ichirô Nobukuni
Producer
Toshihisa Watai
Producer
Hideharu Yamashita
Line Producer
Takeshi Hamada
Director of Photography
Akimasa Kawashima
Editor
Takefumi Yoshikawa
Casting
Media.
Details.
Release DateSeptember 13, 2008
Original Nameおくりびと
StatusReleased
Running Time2h 10m
Content RatingPG-13
Box Office$69,932,387
Filming LocationsJapan
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
Departures (Japanese: おくりびと, Hepburn: Okuribito, "one who sends off") is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yōjirō Takita and starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryōko Hirosue, and Tsutomu Yamazaki. The film follows a young man who returns to his hometown after a failed career as a cellist and stumbles across work as a nōkanshi—a traditional Japanese ritual mortician. He is subjected to prejudice from those around him, including from his wife, because of strong social taboos against people who deal with death. Eventually he repairs these interpersonal connections through the beauty and dignity of his work.
The idea for Departures arose after Motoki, affected by having seen a funeral ceremony along the Ganges when travelling in India, read widely on the subject of death and came across Coffinman. He felt that the story would adapt well to film, and Departures was finished a decade later. Because of Japanese prejudices against those who handle the dead, distributors were reluctant to release it—until a surprise grand prize win at the Montreal World Film Festival in August 2008. The following month the film opened in Japan, where it went on to win the Academy Prize for Picture of the Year and become the year's highest-grossing domestic film. This success was topped in 2009, when it became the first Japanese production to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Departures received positive reviews, with aggregator Rotten Tomatoes indicating an 80% approval rating from 108 reviews. Critics praised the film's humour, the beauty of the encoffining ceremony, and the quality of the acting, but some took issue with its predictability and overt sentimentality. Reviewers highlighted a variety of themes, but focused mainly on the humanity that death brings to the surface and how it strengthens family bonds. The success of Departures led to the establishment of tourist attractions at sites connected to the film and increased interest in encoffining ceremonies, as well as adaptation of the story for various media, including manga and a stage play.