Rent Departures (2008)
4.0 of 5 from 287 ratings
2h 10min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Professional cellist Daigo (Masahiro Motoki) is left jobless after the orchestra he plays in disbands. He and his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) move back from Tokyo to the family home in rural Yamagata left by his mother, who passed away two years previously. Here he stumbles upon a vaguely-worded advert in a local newspaper for a job "assisting departures". He is hired on the spot by his new boss Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki), only to discover the post is for an assistant nokanshi, or traditional mortician, performing the Buddhist rites of washing and preparing corpses for their final journey. Initially he keeps the nature of his employment hidden from Mika, but as his disgust for his work turns to pride, he soon finds himself coming to terms with his own life, and the past memories of the father who abandoned him as a child. - Actors:
- Masahiro Motoki, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo, Takashi Sasano, Tetta Sugimoto, Tôru Minegishi, Tatsuo Yamada, Yukari Tachibana, Tarô Ishida, Sanae Miyata, Ryôsuke Ôtani, Mitsuyo Hoshino, Tatsuhito Okuda, Akemi Fuji, Miyako Hattori, Mari Hayashida, Shinji Hiwatashi, Norichika Iimori
- Directors:
- Yôjirô Takita
- Producers:
- Toshiaki Nakazawa, Ichirô Nobukuni, Toshihisa Watai
- Writers:
- Kundô Koyama
- Aka:
- Okuribito
- Studio:
- Arrow Academy
- Genres:
- Comedy, Drama
- Countries:
- Japan, Top 100 Films, Comedy, Drama
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 10/05/2010
- Run Time:
- 130 minutes
- Languages:
- Japanese
- Subtitles:
- English
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- Bonus:
- The Making of 'Departures' - a documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew and on-set footage
- Encoffinment - the complete unedited footage of the cleansing ritual partially shown throughout the film
- Image Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 10/05/2010
- Run Time:
- 130 minutes
- Languages:
- Japanese
- Subtitles:
- English
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- Colour
- Bonus:
- Making of documentary
- Encoffinment
- Theatrical trailer
- Photo gallery
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Reviews (6) of Departures
Outstanding, warm, funny, beautiful - Departures review by Bojangles
I love the way this film is shot and how the story unravels. There are wonderful 'normal' people in this film. Ok, so it looks honestly at death - but this is the time where human emotions fire off in all directions. The subject worked well for the marvellous 'Six feet under' and it works well here too. So much. Wonderful performances, meticulously shot over the seasons. Fine attention to detail.
Must see
6 out of 7 members found this review helpful.
Excellent but Overlong - Departures review by PV
I liked this - some good writing and characterisation. The first film I've ever seen about Japanese funeral rites, anyway!
The problem is that the film is just too long and the last third drags terribly. If the film had been 90 minutes, it would have been better. I also didn't understand why the main character;s wife was so hysterical because he was an undertaker. Baffling. Maybe it's like that in Japan...
Having said that, it's still an excellent and beautifully shot film.
1 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Long look at death - Departures review by Swambi
Yes,this is well filmed, but nevertheless I found it pretty depressing looking at over two hours of Japanese death and embalming rituals, which is what the film continually focuses on, without much else at all in the way of light relief.
0 out of 2 members found this review helpful.