On the surface, it’s simple to see why Okuribito (Departures) was awarded the Oscar for best foreign language film. Set in the small Japanese town of Yamagata, its thought-provoking premise focuses on the ceremonial practices of “encoffination” directly prior to cremation, with the washing, dressing and placing of the deceased into a coffin — all taking place in front of the family members. Basically, it’s the grim business of Six Feet Under brought up from the basement.
Also interesting is the stigma shown towards dealing with the dead in Japan, with the film’s depiction of the encoffiners as several societal rungs below garbage men. The amount of overacting is relatively subdued, the cinematography, production value and countryside settings are all extremely eye pleasing, and several sequences will leave nary an eye dry. That said, it’s unfortunately only a mediocre film at best.
First off, at two hours and 10 minutes Departures feels overlong and could surely have been improved by a bit of not-so-prudent pruning. The subplot of protagonist Daigo (Masahiro Motoki) as a devoted yet out-of-work cellist starts off well enough, with a lush orchestral score both fitting the subject matter and adding to the film’s overall effect. Sadly, the seemingly endless, saccharine montages of Daigo rediscovering his childhood instrument and holding an impromptu solo performance on the side of a highway (used as the film’s primary image) seem tacked on and completely unnecessary, only adding to its already dangerously overflowing sap.
The acting performances do avoid stagey exaggeration for the most part, with veteran actor Tsutomu Yamazaki — revisiting similar subject matter to his Japanese Academy Award-winning role in 1984’s The Funeral — especially impressing as the comically stone-faced, elder encoffiner Sasaki. Daigo’s extended bouts of puking as he begins his work are surely played for laughs, but the actor’s over-the-top sound effects and facial expressions can only be responded to with eye rolls, groans and eventual annoyance. In addition, the performance of actress and J-pop star Ryoko Hirosue as Daigo’s doting wife Mika falls into several stereotypes with her sweet, giggly girlishness, making her character development seem stunted and unbelievable.
By shining a light on the traditional and decidedly non-North American funeral practices of Japan, Departures will surely attract the interest of many. With such universally engaging subject matter, it’s truly unfortunate that the film surrounding it lapses into TV movie levels of forced sentimentality.
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