Rent Departures (2008)

3.9 of 5 from 326 ratings
2h 10min
Rent Departures (aka Okuribito) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Professional cellist Daigo (Masahiro Motoki) is left jobless after the orchestra he plays in disbands. He and his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) 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 is hired on the spot by his new boss Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki), only to discover the post is for an assistant nokanshi, 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.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , Yukari Tachibana, , , , Mitsuyo Hoshino, , , , , , Norichika Iimori
Directors:
Producers:
Toshiaki Nakazawa, Ichirô Nobukuni, Toshihisa Watai
Writers:
Kundô Koyama
Aka:
Okuribito
Studio:
Arrow Academy
Genres:
Comedy, Drama
Countries:
Japan
Awards:

2009 Oscar Best Foreign Film

BBFC:
Release Date:
10/05/2010
Run Time:
130 minutes
Languages:
Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, Japanese DTS-HD High Resolution 2.0
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • 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
  • Image Gallery
  • Theatrical Trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
10/05/2010
Run Time:
130 minutes
Languages:
Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0, Japanese LPCM Stereo
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Making of documentary
  • Encoffinment
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Photo gallery

More like Departures

Found in these customers lists

353 films by skc
874 films by skc
150 films by np1

Reviews (7) of Departures

Outstanding, warm, funny, beautiful - Departures review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
31/07/2010

I love the way this film is shot and how the story unravels. There are wonderful 'normal' people in this film. Ok, so it looks honestly at death - but this is the time where human emotions fire off in all directions. The subject worked well for the marvellous 'Six feet under' and it works well here too. So much. Wonderful performances, meticulously shot over the seasons. Fine attention to detail.

Must see

7 out of 8 members found this review helpful.

Excellent but Overlong - Departures review by PV

Spoiler Alert
25/09/2010

I liked this - some good writing and characterisation. The first film I've ever seen about Japanese funeral rites, anyway!

The problem is that the film is just too long and the last third drags terribly. If the film had been 90 minutes, it would have been better. I also didn't understand why the main character;s wife was so hysterical because he was an undertaker. Baffling. Maybe it's like that in Japan...

Having said that, it's still an excellent and beautifully shot film.

1 out of 6 members found this review helpful.

Departures - Departures review by PH

Spoiler Alert
24/02/2014

A Brilliant film. I am a long time viewer of Japanese films.

Totally absorbing in its view of a part of Japanese society and the sequences are totally unexpected.

I would watch again.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

Unlimited films sent to your door, starting at £15.99 a month.