Departures (Okuribito) Movie Reviews
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Departures by Yijiro Takita is a terrific Japanese film: The film examines the rituals surrounding death in Japan. It is a story of Daigo, an out-of-work cellist who accepts a job as a "Nokanashi" or "encoffineer" to provide for himself and his young wife. Daigo is a talented musician; however, when his orchestra is dissolved, he finds himself without an income. Daigo decides to move back to his hometown since his mother died recently and left him a house. He could not come home for her funeral. Daigo answers a classified ad for a company called "Departures," believing that he will be working for a travel agency. Discovering that he would be preparing the bodies of the recently deceased for their trip to the afterlife, Daigo accepts the position. Daigo's wife and friends, however, despise his new line of work, even though he takes a great amount of pride in the fact that he is helping to ensure that the dead receive a proper send-off. Daigo's wife refers to him as "unclean".
While watching this wonderful film I was reminded of conversations I had in Japan about the burakumin, the word used to describe descendants of outcast communities in feudal Japan. I believe they are also called eta which means "filthy mass". The buraku worked in occupations relating to death, such as executioners, undertakers or leather workers. It seems that the same social stigma attached to these occupations in fuedal times influenced the reactions of Daigo's wife and friends. "People are talking." It makes me wonder if the Shinto notion of kegare ("defilement") is still at work in contempary Japan. This beautifully made film must have had a profound impact on these prejudices, as the film presents his new occupation as an artistic and beautiful embodiment of love. Daigo is seen as a gatekeeper between life and death, who gradually gains a greater appreciation for life while aesthetically preparing the deceased for their journey.
Highly recommended.
