| Departures | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1 Nomination / 1 Win | |
| Year | 2008 |
| Director | Yōjirō Takita |
| Writer | Kundô Koyama |
| Starring | Masahiro Motoki, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki |
| 81st Academy Awards | |
Departures (Japanese: Okuribito) is a 2008 Japanese drama film by Yōjirō Takita. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009 and the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year at the 32nd Japan Academy Prize.
Wins
- Best Foreign Language Film — Yōjirō Takita representing Japan
Nominations
- Best Foreign Language Film — Yōjirō Takita representing Japan
Plot[]
Daigo Kobayashi is a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and now finds himself without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled "Departures" thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to discover that the job is actually for a "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 work 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.
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