DEPARTURES

Departures is a movie with a personal touch that may evoke many sort of emotions among those who had the chance to watch it. Recently, the movie has won an Oscar for best foreign language film which makes it extra special. The movie is about Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), who is a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved due to bankruptcy and now finds himself without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for a new job and to start over. He answers a classified ad entitled “Departures” thinking the advertisement is about travel agency, only to discover that the job is actually for “Nokanshi” or “encoffineer”, a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his job and begins to perfect the art of “Nokanshi”, acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. The film follows his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living.

Death is one of the greatest mysteries of life. Its inescapability has been a source of wonder, fear, hopefulness, and puzzlement throughout history. Humans, being the only species consciously aware of the inevitability of death, have sought from time immemorial to cope with this unique insight. In traditional context, death was conspicuously visible throughout society and people went to great lengths to remind themselves of how fragile life is. Reminders of mortality were everywhere, whether they are in literature, paintings, oral traditions or the cemeteries and churches where the physical remains of the deaths intersected with the daily activities of the community.

In the current modern century, the social and psychological landscape was transformed, redefining the culture, social and personal experiences of death. As individualism, secularism, materialism, and technology have become driving forces for the current modern generation, as the experience of dying and its meanings have been dramatically recast. Individualism replaces community in daily life, community presence and support is withdrawn from the dying and grieving processes. Secularism as a way of life offers many opportunities and great pleasures, but is ultimately unable to offer meaning and comfort at the end of life. Like secularism, materialism poorly equips individuals and societies to grapple with the mystery of death. In addition, technological achievement and dependence have enabled humanity to actively fight against death, thus forestalling death for countless numbers of individuals.