Movie Review - Departures

Another random selection from our local library.

A young man following his dream to be a concert cellist when his orchestra is disbanned. Now he must make a choice on what to do with the rest of his life. Where does he take him and his wife? She wisely suggests that they go to live in the house where he grew up since it is theirs in full. They settle in and start looking for jobs. (He mostly but she is willing to help out.) He sees an and that is titled Departures. The ad did not say much more about the job, so he assumed it might have something to do with travel. He arrives at the interview and is offered 500,000 yen without even knowing what the job is. Astounded by the money and the abrupt way the new boss treats him, he takes the job.

The movie teaches about how to live life and appreciate the time we have together. It also teaches how to respect death. The have an amazing preparation ceremony that you get to see done quite a few times during the movie. It shows respect and gives them a final face of life to say good bye to.

He learns to respect himself, his job, and the others around him. His wife learns that his job is powerful and amazing and not something to be ashamed of.

It’s another movie that has to be watched through subtitles but it is beautifully done and amazingly powerful. I would definitely own this movie to watch it again.

"People probably have a premonition of what’s coming."

"Working here all these years I’ve often thought that maybe death is a doorway. Dying isn’t the end. You go through it to the next thing. It’s a gate. And as the gatekeeper I’ve sent so many on their way. Telling them, “Off you go.” “We’ll meet again.”"

"A stone letter."

"Long ago, before writing, you’d send someone a stone that suited the way you were feeling. Fron its weight and touch, they’d know how you were feeling from a smooth stone they may know that you were happy. From a rough stone they may know that you were worried."