Departures Reviews

100%

The story is that of a young man named Kobayashi, who, by all means, should be a cellist in a lovely orchestra, but hard times fall upon him. He and his wife pack their bags and move back to the house in the country his mother willed to him upon her death.

Once there he applies for a job which he thinks is in the travel industry. However, the job he actually applies for is an encoffiner. Seduced by the money offered him, and telling himself he will get use to being around death, he takes the job. The story follows his day-to-day experiences - some good, some bad.

While this story could be totally grotesque, it shows you another side of death and how people perceive it. Kobayashi encounters prejudices and the stigma that comes along with such a job; how perception and reality can differ. Even his marriage suffers because of it.

This story is very well acted with a wonderful script and lovely cinematography. It is no wonder it won an Oscar back in 2008 for Best Foreign Film. The list of awards this movie has earned are well deserved.

This is, quite possibly, one of the BEST MOVIES you have never seen..

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