Even though Departures revolves around a topic people normally avoid touching upon, this endearing and at times sentimental film kept me in a viewing mood.

Departures essentially talks about Kobayashi Daigo who just got used to his position as a professional cellist when his conductor breaks the news that the orchestra he plays in is dissolved. Unable to entertain the cost for the apartment he shares with his wife in Tokyo, Daigo is forced to move back to the countryside home left behind by his deceased mother. The turning point arrives when he comes across a newspaper job advertisement concerning "departures", which he misinterprets as being linked to the tourism industry due to a printing error, but it turns out to be a business for the "departed". Initially hesitant to start a career as an undertaker, Daigo gradually learns to respect and appreciate the way of preparing the departed for their final journey. His growing enthusiasm for his new job, however, is overshadowed by other peoples' unwillingness to accept this meaningful yet despised profession, including his wife Mika who considers it "unclean".

Departures lives on the intensity of its delicate topic, taking the viewers on an emotional ride as we enter the world of dressing, embalming, and casketing the dead. Director TakitaYojiro certainly understands how to keep the viewer attracted to the film's unusual topic, drawing us deeper and deeper into the protagonist's complex life story. Takita has also picked an exquisite cast to complement the film's unique material, led by Motoki Masahiro as Daigo, Hirosue Ryoko as his wife Mika, and Yamazaki Tsutomu in a memorable role as a pondering widower-turned-undertaker. Owing to this choice combination, the macabre tale told in Departures turned into a touching and at the same time convincing viewing experience for me.

Moving at a slow pace and involving matters that are difficult to stomach at times, Departures nevertheless offers a welcome introduction to the craft of undertaking, leaving behind an indelible memory and causing me to see it in a new light. Given the final polish by veteran composer Hisaishi Joe's heartfelt music score, Departures offers a cinematic rite dedicated to the dead that I consider worth watching and reflecting upon.