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One of the most critically lauded Japanese films of recent years Departures was awarded the Best Foreign Language film Oscar in 2009, 10 major awards at the Japanese Academy and a host of other international prizes.

When professional cello player Daigo is left jobless after the orchestra he plays in disbands, he and his wife Mika 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 turns up at the interview and is hired on the spot by his new boss Sasaki, only to discover the post is for an assistant nôkanshi, 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.

This life-affirming drama from director Takita Yôjirô (The Yin Yang Master, When the Last Sword is Drawn, Ashura) is beautifully complemented by a majestic score from Hisaishi Jô, known for his work with Kitano Takeshi and Studio Ghibli, and featuring an affecting central performance from Motoki Masahiro (Gonin, Shall We Dance?, The Bird People in China), Departures is a bittersweet portrait of one man’s reconnection with the landscapes and life forces of home.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

• High Definition digital transfer
• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo options
• Optional English subtitles
• 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
• Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork

manicsounds wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:07 am

Japan's Oscar winner for 2009, surprisingly, Japan's first win for best foreign language film, is coming to DVD on 3/18 in Japan, with a surprisingly very slim amount of extras. Sadly no English subtitles.

I know most people internationally have not seen this, but I highly recommend it. 25 weeks after the theatrical release, the movie jumped up to the #1 position this week for the first time in Japan.

I suspect there'll be a bigger box set along soon with lots of extras. The listed price of below 3000 yen is pretty typical for the 'bare-bones edition'. Pity about the subs, but I don't suppose it'll take long to get an international release.

Sanjuro wrote:I suspect there'll be a bigger box set along soon with lots of extras. The listed price of below 3000 yen is pretty typical for the 'bare-bones edition'. Pity about the subs, but I don't suppose it'll take long to get an international release.

at the February screening I was at, it was mentioned before the screening that Regent Releasing would be releasing this here in the states (at a yet to be announced date).

As for the film, I was very impressed. Glad it won the Oscar.

Saw this on my flight home to the US at Christmastime on ANA (All Nippon Airways). English subtitles were available. I too was very impressed by it. It should do well for a foreign film in the US.

Just came back from seeing this in New York, and I have to agree - highly recommended, and there are solid reasons for this film winning the Foreign Oscar (although I'm not going into a lengthy post right now).

lady wakasa wrote:Just came back from seeing this in New York, and I have to agree - highly recommended, and there are solid reasons for this film winning the Foreign Oscar (although I'm not going into a lengthy post right now).

A.O. Scott does not agree.

fiddlesticks wrote:A.O. Scott does not agree.

And we should care why? A.O. Scott's opinion of any Japanese movie isn't worth the paper it is printed on.

fiddlesticks wrote:A.O. Scott does not agree

Edelstein agrees with Scott.

The Hong Kong 2-disc seems identical in content to the Japanese one, with the addition of a DTS track and English subtitles, which is the first.
(Korea, Taiwan, has none listed) Any comments on this release?

An extremely well-made mainstream film, rather in the vein of Yoji Yamada (though not at the level of YY's best).

I think US critics don't have any real template for assessing "non-art" Japanese films.

Is this repacking, or a new transfer. The old from 2010 states on the cover DTS-HD 5.0, the New DTS-HD 5.1.

Pepsi wrote:Is this repacking, or a new transfer. The old from 2010 states on the cover DTS-HD 5.0, the New DTS-HD 5.1.

I don't think this is the kind of film that would ever give your subwoofer much of a workout. My guess is that there's a LFE track in the specs but it's most likely empty.

Second former Arrow Films title to be re-released as an Academy title. I hope it wont be too much of a trend, there are enough titles to newly release on BD.

tenia wrote:Second former Arrow Films title to be re-released as an Academy title. I hope it wont be too much of a trend, there are enough titles to newly release on BD.

Fourth, by my count. I Wish, Like Father Like Son, The Hunt and now this.

I hope the trend at least covers A Touch of Sin.

The Hunt was given an upgraded transfer, from interlaced to progressive I believe, so it was worthwhile.

This was a pleasant surprise. Based on the reception I was expecting a po faced Miramax type of film, but instead it's very playful guiding as a comedy before it lightly introduces pathos. I guess the closest equivalent to this in American cinema would be a quieter Fox Searchlight dramedy though the contours Takita places on the story makes it better than most of those examples I can think of. Michael's Yamada comparison seems on the money though it's different enough I wouldn't have thought about him on my own.

When we visited Sakata we passed the building used for the funerary business in Departures. Alas it was not open (though advertised in tourist brochures). Apparently it was closed indefinitely for renovations/repairs:

That's cool Michael. Definitely helps the film with its sense of realism. I will say that the central dramatic event threw me through a loop with myself needing to self remind about cultural differences. That's because in my culture this is considered a highly respected job that only the most respected people can take on so its pariah status in the movie took me a lot of effort to appreciate. Still, that sociological difference probably in the end helped me to better appreciate this movie and how well it captures subtleties in its story.

When we visited Takayama, while walking down a street, we saw funeral service workers taking a body out of an old house. If we had not seen Departures we might not have realized what we were seeing.

I thought this was a well-made, quite enjoyable film -- but my recollection is that it didn't make it into my top 10 Japanese films of the year. As I recall, virtually none of the films I liked more that year ever made it into distribution (or even to DVD/Blu) in the USA.

That makes sense. This is an incredibly well made prestige film, but, for example, I saw Warm Water Under a Red Bridge the same day and there's no challenge to which one is better.