Film Review: 'Departures'

Evocative music and exquisite corpses...

>Departures

Director: Yôjirô Takita

Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue, Kazuko Yoshiyuki Kimiko Yo, Takashi Sasano.

Rating: (M)

4 stars (out of 5) 

Review by Mark Orton 

The sheer amount of attention that Departures (Metro) has garnered since its release, owes everything to an aesthetic that harks back to a bygone era of cinema . . . and some quirky Japanese finesse.

Director Yôjirô Takita does not dwell too long on the back-story of how a cellist loses his job, moves back to his home town, and becomes an undertaker's assistant.

Instead, Departures delves deep within the painful details of death, without histrionics.

It is refreshing to have a film-maker comprehend how the horror happening in a viewer's imagination can best be preserved, by hinting, not showing.

There are some particularly poignant character interactions, especially between the apprentice Daigo (Masahiro Motoki) and his boss Shoei (Tsutomu Yamazaki).

Departures' pedestrian pace is barely noticeable.

The film is beautifully shot, with its wonderfully evocative score matching Daigo's love of cello.

You get the sense that the production crew have put a lot of emphasis on credibility, especially the exquisite but laboured detail of preparing corpses. Fortunately, amid the heavy emotion, are some amusing, though dark, moments.

To suggest that Departures could not have been made outside Japan is a tad simplistic, but it is unlikely.

Perhaps in the hustle and bustle of contemporary Japan, achieving serenity through the snail's pace of a slowly evolving story is refreshing.

It certainly is to these eyes.

Best thing: Skilfully edited subtle facial expressions.

Worst thing: Excessive signposting. A few more elements of surprise would have been nice.

See it with: A flask of sake and some puffer roe.