Departures - Trailer

Watch the trailer for Departures

Yojiro Takita 's Departures won Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards. Daigo Kobayashi is a cellist, the orchestra he plays in is the only real job he's known. When Daigo is informed that the orchestra is being disbanded a whole new chapter must open in his life.

When he and his wife decide to move back to his old hometown to find new lives for themselves a job is the first priority on arrival. Daigo answers an ad in a local news paper, the title was 'Deptures', expecting to go to an interview at a travel agents Daigo is surprised to find the job is actually as a Nokanshi, a type of encoffineer; the job is to prepare deceased bodies for the trip to the afterlife. Whilst not too keen on the job to start with Daigo begins to take his job very seriously, treating each funeral with a gentle touch. The film follows the newly found Nokanshi on his - often comical - joyful journey of self discovery and his personal meaning of life.

In Japan Departures was called Okuribito

Released in UK cinemas on December 4th 2009.

Directed by Yojiro Takita

Starring Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Kimiko Yo and Takashi Sasano