The fourth movie to be screened by Westport film club this year will be the surprise winner of the best foreign language film at this years Oscars Departures. The screening will take place next Wednesday May 5 at 8.45pm in the Westport Cineplex.
Departures tells the story of a concert cellist named Daigo who undergoes a transformation following the death of his father and the dissolution of his Tokyo orchestra. Because he spent a fortune on a new cello for his now-defunct ensemble, Daigo retreats, guilt-ridden, to his picturesque hometown in northern Japan to look for work, with his obedient wife Mika in tow. He responds to an ad for a company called Departures, thinking it’s a travel agency, but discovers that the company caters to morticians who perform encoffinments — highly stylised and meticulous ceremonies to prepare bodies for burial or cremation.
Daigo has mixed feelings about working in an industry that carries such taboo in Japan, but he can’t refuse the salary. Soon, he finds pride in helping grieving family members cope with the loss of their loved ones, but he still can’t find the courage to admit to Mika what he does for a living.
