Departures (おくりびと, Okuribito) is a 2008 Japanese film by Yōjirō Takita. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2009 Oscars and has earned $61,010,217 in Japan as of April 12, 2009.
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
Re: Okuribito [Departures]
It all started off so well - - so true, so light, so funny...
...but then it just kept going and going and going - - it done plum wore me out. If I'd left after the first hour and a half I would've rated this film much higher. By the end though, I wished it was a half hour shorter and had a more culturally accessible conclusion - - it coulda been a powerhouse of emotion and education and acceptance. But for me... I just didn't possess the cultural fluency to enjoy all the depths this movie clearly has to offer a native audience. The death ritual is so elaborate and intimate, that I'm frankly grateful I don't have to live that ritual myself (as beautiful and psychologically balanced as it may be). The two lead actors are astoundingly good at their roles. And though I did appreciate the peaceful message of death this film portrayed, Departures didn't cut it as a complete movie experience for me. So close and yet so far - - it just didn't work for me...
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